THE    LIFE 


OP 


BENJAiMIN   FRANKLIN 


BY 

JEREMIAH  CHAPLIN 

AUTHOR    OF    THE    "  LIFE    OF    HENRY    DUNSTER,    FIRST 

PRESIDENT   OF    HARVARD   COLLEGE,"    "LIFE 

OF   CHARLES    SUMNER,"    AND 

OTHER    WORKS. 


CHICAGO 
BELFORD,  CLARKE  &  COMPANY 


Copyright.  1876,  hv  D.  I.QTHROP  &  Co. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTEK  I. 

Franklin's  Ancestry. —  His  Father. —  Population  of  Massa 
chusetts.  —  Boston  in  1680.  —  Franklin's  Home.  —  His 
Father's  Second  Marriage. —Peter  Folger.— His  Moth 
er 13 

CHAPTER  H. 

Franklin's  Birth.— Dr.  Willard.  —  Uncle  Benjamin.— His 
Father's  House. — Family  Scene. —  Population  of  Massa 
chusetts  and  of  Boston. —  Commerce  of  Boston. —  Its  So 
cial  Character. —  Madame  Knight. —  Franklin  in  his  boy 
hood.  —  "  Paying  too  much  for  the  Whistle.  "— Sent  to 
Grammer  School. —  In  his  Father's  Shop. —  Building  a 
Wharf. —Gets  into  Trouble. —Fond  of  Swimming.— 
Learning  to  Swim. — "Swimming  with  a  Kite. — Sleeping 
on  the  Water  in  1785 18 

CHAPTER  III. 

His  Brother  John. —  Dislikes  his  Father's  Trade. —  Looking 
for  a  Trade.— PflffljLflLBppks.—  TheBooks^^Read^.— 
Cotton  Mather. —  Becomes  a  Printer's  Apprentice  to  his 
Brother  James. — Borrowing  Books. —  Writing  Poetry  and 
Prose. — Improving  his  Style. — How  he  Bought  Books. — 
His  Diet.—  The  Character  of  his  Reading.—  Fond  of  Dis 
cussions.  . 28 

CHAPTER  IY. 

The  Newspaper  in  Franklin's  Day. —  A  Newsboy. — Writing 
for  a  Newspaper. —  His  Brother  James  a  Hard  Master. — 
Benjamin  becomes  Manager  of  the  Courant. —  Resolves  to 
Break  his  Engagement 35 

CHAPTER  V. 

Runs  Away. —  Goes  in  a  Sloop  to  New  York. — Vegetarian 
Principles  Tested. —  Eating  Fish. —  In  New  York. — Seeks 
Employment  at  his  Trade.— Goqs  to  Philadelphia.— The 

(1) 


2  CONTENTS. 

Voyage. —  A  Dutchman  Overboard. — Stops  at  Burlington. 

—  Dr.   Brown. — Keaches  Philadelphia. — Description  of 
the  City.— Walking  the  Streets.  —  Eating  Rolls.— Falls 
Asleep  in  a  Meeting-house. — Bradford    the  Printer. — 
Keimer 40 

CHAPTER  VI. 

In  Philadelphia. —  Keimer. —  Hears  from  Home. —  Sir  Wil 
liam  Keith. — Keith  becomes  Franklin's  Patron. — Keith's 
Proposal  to  Franklin.—  Brilliant  Prospects.  .  .  50 

CHAPTER  VII. 

A  New  Plan. —  Rettirns  to  Boston. — Welcomed  Home. — 
Ill-treated  by  James.— Visits  his  Brother's  Office.— Calls 
on  Cotton  Mather. —  Stooping. —  His  Father  Disapproves 
of  Governor  Keith's  Plan. —  Consents  to  his  Return  to 
Philadelphia. —  He  Embarks  for  New  York. —  Visits  his 
Brother  at  Newport. —  Mr.  Vernon. —  At  New  York. — 
Collins. —  Governor  Burnet. —  Incident  on  the  Deleware. — 
A  Green  Meadow. — Sad  Experience  with  Collins. —  Rup 
ture 55 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

In  Philadelphia. —  Calls  on  Governor  Keith. — New  Prom 
ises. —  Plan  for  Setting  up  in  Business. — Vernon's  Money. 

—  Keimer.  —  Thoughts  of  Marriage.  —  Miss    Read.  —  A 
Prudent  Mother 64 

CHAPTER  IX. 

Governor  Keith. —  Great  Promises. —  Never  Ready. —  Frank 
lin  sails  for  England. —  No  Letters. — Discovers  the  Decep 
tion. —  A  Stranger  in  London. —  Mr.  Denham. —  Franklin's 
Opinion  of  Sir  William  Keith. — Ralph  Again. —  Frank 
lin  Finds  Employment 68 

CHAPTER  X. 

Relieved  of  a  Burden.  —A  New  Printing-Office.  —  The  Wa 
ter-American. —  Beer-Drinkers. —  Initiation-Fee.  —  Frugal 
Living. —  New  Lodgings. —  A  Catholic  Lady. — Wygate. — 
Denham. —  His  Proposal  to  Franklin.  .  .74 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Leaves  England. —  His  Journal, —  An  Adventure. —  Playing 
Card.*. — A  Dutchman.  —  Talking  to  a  Foreigner. — A 
Trial.—  A  Weary  Bird.— Dolphins.— A  Shark.— Land.— 
Cape  Henlopen. —  Welcomed  at  Newcastle. — A  Happy 
Day.— At  Home.  .....  80 


CONTENTS.  8 

CHAPTER  XII. 

In  Philadelphia.—  A  New  Governor.—  Sir  William  Keith.— 
Miss  Read. —  Franklin  in  Business. —  Mr.  Denham. —  Out 
of  Business. —  Returns  to  Keimer. —  Larger  Wages. —  The 
Workmen. — George  Webb. —  Franklin  Invents  a  Mould  for 
Casting  Types. — Engraving. — Leaves  Keimer. —  Meredith. 
— A  New  Plan. —  New  Engagement  with  Keimer. —  Print 
ing  Paper  money. — Franklin's  Inventive  Genius. — At 
Burlington. — A  Favorite. —  New  and  Valuable  Acquaint 
ances. —  Isaac  Decow. —  A  Croaker. —  Samuel  Nickle. — 
Letter  to  his  Sister 89 

CHAPTER  XIH. 

The  Junto.— Its  Members.— Queries.  —  Terms  of  Admis 
sion.  —  Origin  of  American  Philosophical  Society.  —  His 
Diligence.— Dr.  Baird 99 

CHAPTER  XIY|/ 

His  Newspaper  Prospers.  —  Obtains  the  Public  Printing.  — 
Hears  from  Mr.  Yernon.  —  A  Difficulty.  —  Fear  of  Fail- 
nre. —  Trouble  from  Meredith. —  Separati on. — Relief  from 
Friends. —  Discussions  in  the  Junto. —  Demand  for  Paper 
Money. —  Writes  on  the  Nature  and  Necessity  of  a  Paper 
Currency. —  Prints  the  Money. — Adds  a  Stationer's  Shop. — 
His  Business  Principles. —  Uses  a  Wheelbarrow. —  Keimer 
goes  to  Barbadoes. —  Mr.  Bradford  the  only  Rival. —  Frank 
lin's  Method  of  Resentment.  — Thinks  of  Matrimony. — 
Mrs.  Godfrey  as  a  Matchmaker. —  "A  Deserving  Girl." — 
Failure  of  the  Plan.— Thinks  of  Miss  Read.— Marriage.— 
Letter  to  Mr.  Mecum. —  Remedy  for  Cancer.  .  .  105 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Book-sellers. — A  Library.  —  Readers  of  Books  in  Philadel 
phia  Public  Library. — How  he  obtained  Subscribers. — 
Standing  before  Kings. — Improved  Circumstances. — A 
Good  Wife.— A  China  Bowl  and  Silver  Spoon.— Form  of 
Prayer. —  Plan  of  Moral  Perfection. —  Catalogue  of  Moral 
Virtues. —  Speckled  Axe. — A  Prayer. —  Temperance  and 
other  Virtues. —  On  Humility. —  On  Pride. —  Good  Reso 
lutions. —  A  United  Party  for  Virtue. —  A  Creed.  .  115 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Poor  Richard's  Almanac.  — Address  to  the  Reader.  — Enig 
matical  Prophecies. —  Harangue  at  an  Auction.  .  129 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

Employment  for  Women. —  Establishes  a  Printing-office  in 


CONTENTS. 


Charleston.  —  What  a  Woman  did.  —  Foreign  Languages. 
—Playing  Chess.—  The  Study  of  Languages.—  Visits  Bos 
ton.  —  Calls  at  Newport.  —  James  Franklin.  —  A  Reconcili 
ation.  —  Death  of  his  Son  Francis.  —  The  Junto.  —  New 
Clubs.  —  In  Public  Life.  —Clerk  of  the  Assembly.  —  Sub 
duing  a  Foe.  —  Becomes  Deputy-Postmaster.  —  New  Pros 
perity.  —  His  Newspaper.  —  Municipal  Improvements.  — 
City  Watch.  —  Fire  Company  .....  138 


CHAPTEE 

George  Whitfield.  —  A  Meeting-house.  —  Orphan  House  in 
Georgia.  —Franklin's  Pockets  Emptied.—  The  Quaker's 
Reply.  —  Franklin's  Intimacy  with  Whitfield.  —Whit- 
field's  Voice.  —  His  Old  and  New  Sermons.  —  Letter  to 
Whitfield.—  Franklin's  Religious  Views.—  Prosperity  in 
Business.  —  Views  of  Partnership.  —  Franklins  Store.  —  In 
Boston.  Dr.  Spence.  —  Electrical  Kiss.  —  Magical  Picture. 

—  The  Conspirators.  —  Electrical  Pic-nic.  —  Electricity  and 
Lightning.—  His  Reputation  in  England.—  The  Royal  So 
ciety  ...........  143 

CHAPTER  XIX. 

A  Proposal  for  a  College.—  Philosophical  Society.—  Its  Ob 
jects.  —  American  Philosophical  Society.  —  Defense  of  the 
Province.  —  Designs  of  France.  —  Louisburg.  —  A  Quaker 
Colony.  —  A  Voluntary  Malitia.  —  "  Plain  Truth."  — 
Elected  Colonel.  —A  Battery.  —A  Lottery.  —Procuring 
Cannon.  —  Governor  Clinton.  —  The  Proprietaries  Dis 
pleased.  —  Proposes  a  Fast.  —  Writes  a  Proclamation.  — 
His  Rule  about  Offices.  —  Re-elected  Clerk.  —  The  Quak 
ers  on  Defensive  War  .......  159 

CHAPTER  XX. 

Peace  Concluded.  —  An  Academy.  —  "  Proposals  Relating  to 
the  Education  of  Youth."  —  Plan  of  Education.  —  How 
Franklin  became  a  Member  of  the  Board.  —  A  Charity 
School.  —  Philosophical  Studies.  —  Buys  Dr.  Spence's  Ap 
paratus.  —  Commissioner  of  Peace.  —  Alderman.  —  Member 
of  the  Assembly.  —  Letter  from  his  Mother.  —  Postscript 
from  his  Sister.  —  Charles  Sunnier.  —  His  Son  elected  Clerk. 

—  One  of  a  Commission  to  treat  with  the  Indians.  —  Conduct 
of  the  Indians.  —  Effect  of  Ardent  Spirits.  —  A  Hospital.  — 
How  he  obtained  a  Subscription.  —  The  Subject  in  the  As 
sembly.  —  His  Views  about  caring  for  the  Poor.  —  Im 
provement  of  the  Streets.  —  Becomes  Postmaster  General. 

—  Receives  the  Degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  —  Dignity  of  La 
bor.  —  On  Luxury.  —  The  Farmer  of  Cape  May.         .     167 


CONTENTS.  5 

CHAPTER  XXI. 

War  with  France. —  The  Six  Nations. —  Congress  at  Albany. 

—  Description  of    Albany. — Union  of  the   Colonies. — 
Franklin's  Plan.  —  It  is  Rejected.  — Device  of  a  Snake.  — 
Letter  to  Catherine  Ray. —  His  Love  for  New  England.  — 
British  Jealousy.  —  General   Braddock.  —  Franklin  waits 
upon  Him.  — A  Whirlwind.  — Procuring  Horses  and  Wag 
ons. —  Supplies  for  Subaltern  Officers. — Provides  Supplies 
for  Bradclock.  — Conversation  with  Braddock.  — The  Gen 
eral's  Defeat  and  Death. — Plan  for  Improving  the  Ger 
man  Population.         .     '    .         .         .         .         .  I73f 

CHAPTER    XXII. 

Meanness  of  the  Proprietaries. — Discord  between  the  Govern 
or  and  the  Assembly. —  Eff  ect  of  Braddock' s  Defeat  in  Eng 
land.  —  Defence  of  the  Frontier.  —  Franklin  takes  the 
Field. —  Raises  Troops  and  Builds  Forts.  — The  Moravian 
Settlements. —  Indian  Massacres. —  The  Moravia  Bishop. 

—  The  March.  — Lloyd's  Description.  — Indian  Device. — 
Letter  to  his  Wife. —  Summoned  to  Philadephia. —  Elected 
Colonel. — Effect  of  a  Salute. —  An  Escort. —  The  Proprie 
tor  Offended. —  Letter  to  his  Wife. — Description. — Button. 
— Franklin's  Theory  of  Electricity  assailed  in  France. — 
Does  not  Reply. —  His  Plan  of  Proving  Identity  of  Elec 
tricity  and  Lightning. —  Dolibard. —  Lightning  from  the 
Clouds. —  A  Kite.  — Proves  his  Theory.  —  The  Royal  So 
ciety.  —  A  Gold  Medal.  —  Affections  for  his  Relatives.  — 
Letter  to  Mrs.  Mecom.  —  Benny. — Antigua. — Letter  to 
Mrs.  Mecom. —  Jemmy's  Dress 191 

CHAPTER  XXIH. 

Governor  Denny. —  Entertainment  in  his  Honor.  — Presents 
the  Gold  Medal  to  Franklin. —  Interview  with  Franklin. — 
Franklin's  Independence. — New  Disputes. — Conference 
with  the  Indians.  — At  Easton.  — Letter  to  his  Wife.  — 
Broom-corn. —  The  Proprietary  still  Obstinate. — Franklin 
appointed  Agent  to  Petition  the  Crown  against  him.  — 
Arrival  of  Lord  Loudown. —  He  Meets  the  Governor  and 
Franklin. — Resolutions  in  the  Assembly. —  Supension  of 
Rights. —  Prepares  to  go  to  England. —  Goes  to  New  York. 

—  Letter  to  his  Wife. — Long  Delay. —  Letter  to  his  Sister. 

—  Care  of  the  Aged.  —  Another  Teller.  —  Benny  Thinks 
of  Marriage.  —  Miss  Betsy.  —  Letter  to  his  Wife.  —  To  his 
Sister. —  Peter  Mecom. —  Honesty  in  Business. —  Letter  to 
his  Wife. —  A  Large  Fleet. —  Chased  by  Hostile  Ships.  — 
The  Scilly  Rocks.— Great  Peril.— Off  Falmouth.  —Letter 
to  his  Wife.—  In  London 206 


CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 

At  Peter  Collinson's.— Letter  to  his  Wife.— At  Mrs.  Steven 
son's. —  Mary  Stevenson. — Visits  from  Distinguished 
Persons.  —  Very  111.— Letter  to  his  Wife.  —Another  Let 
ter. —  Homesick.  —  Another  Letter.  —  London  Coaches. — 
Inventory  of  Articles  sent  Home  —  His  Agency. —  Seeks 
an  Interview  with  Thomas  and  Richard  Penn.  —  Their 
Prejudices.— Visits  Cambridge  and  Other  Places.— Sends 
Presents  to  his  Daughter  and  a  Friend. —  Family  Por 
traits. —  Women  and  Politics. —  Sends  for  Pippins,  Hams, 
and  Cranberries. —  Goody  Smith. — At  Cambridge. — Visits 
the  House  of  his  Ancestors. —  Thomas  Franklin.  .  221 

CHAPTER  XXV.J/ 

The  Study  of  Electricity.— Experiments. —Music. —The 
Armonica. —  Excursion  to  Scotland. — University  of  Aber 
deen. —  Men  ot' Note. — Lord  Kuines. —  Parable  on  Perse 
cution.  —  Letter  to  Lord  Kames.  —  History  of  Pennsylva 
nia. —  A  Settlement. —  Canada. —  Letter  to  Lord  Kames. — 
The  Future  of  America.  — Letter  to  David  Hume.  — New 
Words.  — American  "  Audience  "  for  English  Authors.  — 
The  Poet  Daniel. — JliaJ^rjmhecv  of  |  America. —  Charles 
Sumner. —  John  Adams. —  visits  tneTSTTlTfflHDf  England 
and  Wales.  — Scientific  Correspondence  with  Miss  Steven 
son. —  Letter  to  his  Wife. —  Visits  the  Continent. —  Letter 
from  Hume. — Franklin's  Reply. — Return  to  America.  232 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 

In  the  Assembly. —  His  Son  chosen  Governor  of  New  Jersey. 

—  His  Son  Marries. —  Tour  through  the  Northern  Colonies 
as  Postmaster. — Accompanied  by  his  Daughter. —  Outrages 
on  Friendly  Indians.— u  A  Narrative." — Preparations  to 
meet  the  Insurgents. —  Loses  his  Seat  in  the  Assembly. — 
Jealousy  of  Franklin's  Influence.  — Requested  by  the  As 
sembly  to  Return  to    England  to  urge  a  Petition  for  a 
Change  of  Government  in    the  Provinces. — A  Protest 
against  his  Appointment.  —  John  Dickinson. — Franklin 
Replies  to  Charges.  —  Generous  Action  of  the  Merchants. 

—  Sails  for  England. —  Letter  to  his  Daughter. —  Good 
Advice. — Arrives  in  London. — At  Mrs.  Stevenson's. — 
Letter  from  Cadwallader  Evans. —  Greeting  from  Pennsyl 
vania 241 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 

Offensive  Acts  of  the  British  Ministry.—  The  Loyalty  of  the 
Colonists. —  Led  by  a  Thread. —  Proposed  Taxation. — "No" 
Taxation  without  Representation." — Franklin  Remon 
strates  with  the  British  Minister. —  The  Stamp  Act.— 


CONTENTS.  7 

Earl  of  Chatham. —  Restrictions  on  American  Manufact 
ures. —  Letter  to  Lord  Kames. —  Scotch  Music. — Mr.  Ty 
ler. —  Letter  to  his  Wife. —  English  Roads. —  Letter  to  his 
\Vife. —  Letter  from  his  Wife. —  Letter  from  his  Daughter. 

—  The  Stamp  Act 250 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

Unpopularity  of  the  SjiaJitpAct.,--  Dr.  Franklin's  Influence. 

—  Party  Spirit  in  PemisyTvama. —  How  he  bears  Calumny. 

—  Letter  to  his  Sister. — His  Examination  before  Parlia 
ment. —  Questions  and  Answers.  -~  His  Bearing. — Whit- 
field's  Testimony. — Letter  from  his  Sister. —  She  wants 
"  Some  Fine  Old  Linen." — Sends  her  a  Box  of  Millinery. 
Her  Letter  to  Mrs.  Franklin.  —  Letter  to  his  Wife.  —  Re 
peal  of  the  Stamp  Act. — A  New  Gown. —  Reels. — Cheeses. 

—  Sir  Thomas  Pringle. —  Excursion  to  the  Continent.— 
On  a  Permanent  Union  between  England  and  America. — 
Too  Late.  — Friar  Bacon.  — Returned  to  the  Assembly.  — 
Letter  to  his  Daughter.— "  The  Old  Ticket  Forever."  258 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 

George  the  Third.— Thackeray.  —  Letter  to  his  Wife.  —Ne 
cessity  of  Economy. —  Mr.  Bache. —  His  House. — Sarah 
Franklin. —  Sir  John  Pringle. —  Visits  Paris. —  Letter  to 
Miss  Stevenson. — Account  of  his  Journey,  and  of  his 
Residence  at  Paris.— Ladies'  Toilet. — Painting  the  Cheeks. 
The  Queen. —  Converses  with  the  King. —  The  Royal  Sup 
per.  —  Versailles. —  Paris. — French  Politicians.  —  Treat 
ment  of  Strangers 267 

CHAPTER  XXX.  T 

Obnoxious  Acts  of  Parliament,  — Duties  on  Tea,  Paper, 
Glass,  and  Other  Imported  Articles. — American  Manufact 
ures  Forbidden.  — Outbreaks  in  America.  — Dr.  Franklin 
Writes  for  the  London  Chronicle,  on  Causes  of  the  Ameri 
can  Discontents. — Letter  to  his  Wife. — Acknowledges 
Receipt  of  Apples,  Indian  Meal,  etc.  — American  Nuts.  — 
Lady  Bathurst.  —  Election  of  a  New  Parliament. — John 
Wilkes. — Riots. — Dr.  Franklin  artfully  Approached  by 
Friends  of  the  Government.  — Office  of  Under  Secretary. 

—  Not  to  be  Bought.  — Letter  to  his  Sister.  — To  his  Son. 

—  Mr.    Grenville. — Franklin's  Son. — Wishes  to  Return 
Home. — Still  Delayed. — Agent  for  Georgia. — Letter  to 
John  Alleyne. —  Early  Marriages. —  Letter  of  Advice  to 
Miss  Stevenson. —  Treatment  of  the  Aged. —  Chosen  Pres 
ident  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society. — J^  Practical 

Telescope  for  Harvard  College.— Oats. — 
rley. —  Culture  of  Silk. —  Smoky  Chimneys. —  Ox- 


CONTENTS. 

en  on  the  Farm.  —  Khubarb.  —  Chinese  Cheese.  —  Con 
struction  of  French  Houses.  —Letter  to  John  Bartram  — 
Parmesan  Cheese.—  Letter  to  his  Wife.—  His  Health  — 
Letter  from  Miss  Stevenson.  —A  Young  Physician.  —  Dr 
Franklin's  Keply.—  Phonography.—  Modesty  in  Opinions! 
—  Pope's  Rule.—  Letter  to  Miss  Stevenson  about  a  Pro 
posal  of  Marriage.  —What  he  Thinks  of  Giving  Ad- 
vice-  •  •  •  '  ......  276 


CHAPTEE 

Compelled  to  Remain  in  England.  —  Agent  for  Four  Colo 
nies.—  American  Resistance.—  Non-Importation  of  Brit 
ish  Goods.  —  Testimonial  from  Boston.  —  Writes  to  his 
Wife.  —  About  Grandmothers.  —  Letter  to  Mrs.  Mecom.  — 

.  Rumored  Removal  from  the  Post-office.  —  His  Rule  in  Re 
gard  to  Office.—  Tour  into  Wales,  Ireland,  Scotland,  and 
North  of  England.—  Dr.  Priestly.—  Dr  Darwin.—  Letter  to 
Dr.  Franklin,  America."—  Warmly  Received  in  Ireland. 
—  Honored  by  the  Irish  Parliament.  —  Meets  Lord  Hills- 
borough.  —  Invited  to  his  Country  Mansion.  —  Treated 
with  "  Great  Cordiality."  —Franklin  not  Blinded.  —Let 
ter  to  his  Son.  —  Hillsborough's  Subsequent  Rudeness  — 
In  Scotland.  —Visits  Lord  Kames.  —David  Hume  — 
Other  Celebrities.—  Visits  the  Bishop  of  Asaph.—  An  In 
teresting  Family.—  Birthday  of  Franklin's  Grandson.— 
Letters  to  Mrs.  Hewson.  —How  to  Bring  up  Children.  — 
Contrasts  New  England  with  Scotland  and  Ireland.—  Let 
ter  to  his  Cousin  Samuel.  —  Wives  "  Out  of  a  Bunch."— 
Letter  to  his  Wife.  —Meets  Mr.  Bache.  —  Advice  about 
Public  Offices.—  Letter  to  his  Wife.—  Arrival  of  the  Squir 
rels.  —  Also  of  Peaches,  Apples,  Buckwheat,  and  Indian 
Meal.—  "A  Great  Refreshment."—  Assists  his  Son-in-law 
with  £200.—  Letter  to  his  Daughter.  —  Advises  her  to 
"Learn  Accounts."—  Fate  of  one  of  the  Squirrels.  —  Epi 
taph  to  *  '  Poor  Mungo.'  '  —  Letter  to  Miss  Shipley.  292 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

Letter  to  his  Son.—  Homesick.—  Anticipating  Death.  -De 
tained  by  his  Agency.  —  A  New  British  Minister.  —  Frank 
lin's  Situation.  —  A  Committee  of  the  Royal  Society  to 
Examine  Government  Powder  Works.  —  Pointed  or  Blunt 
Lightning  Conductors?  —Dr.  Franklin's  Report,  —Mr. 
Wilson  Not  Convinced.—  George  III.  Alarmed.—  Changes 
his  Lightning-Rods.  —  Dr.  Franklin  Keeps  Silence.  —  Epi 
gram  on  George  III.—  Effect  of  Oil  on  Vfaves.—  Letter  on 
the  Subject.—  Experiments.—  Spots  on  the  Sun.—  Vol 
canic  Eruptions.—  Flies  in  Madeira  Wine.  —  On  Embalm 
ing  Drowned  Persons.  —  New  Carriage-Wheel,  —  Stove  for 
Utilizing  Coal  Smoke.—  On  Fresh  Air.—  Other  Observa- 


CONTENTS.  9 

lions'. —  Prepares  an  Abridgement  of  the  Book  of  Common 
Prayer.—  Lord  Mansfield.        ....         .304 

CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

Letters  of  Gov.  Hutchinson  and  Lieut.  Gov.  Oliver. —  What 
Grew  Out  of  Them. —  Transmitted  by  Dr.  Franklin  to 
Massachusetts. —  Great  Indignation  in  America  and  Eng 
land. —  Dr.  Franklin  Violently  Assailed. —  Scene  in  the 
Privy  Council. —  Wedderburne's  Speech  characterized  by 
Lord  Campbell.  — Franklin's  Defense.  —  Dr.  Bancroft.  — 
Letter  to  Mr.  Gushing. —  Dismissed  from  his  Office  as 
Postmaster  General  of  the  Colonies. —  Wishes  to  Return. 
—Death  of  Dr.  Hewson.  —Letter  to  his  Wife. —Her 
Death. —  Her  Character. —  Continental  Congress.  — Letter 
to  James  Bowdoin. —  His  Patriotic  Zeal. —  Josiah  Quincy, 
Jr. —  A  New  Parliament.—  Lord  Chatham. — Dr.  Franklin 
Fears  the  Effect  of  a  Closer  Union. —  Invited  by  a  Lady 
to  Play  Chess.  —  Sister  of  Lord  Howe. —  Her  Purpose. — 
Franklin  Denounced  by  Lord  Sandwich. —  Defended  oy 
Lord  Chatham. —  Sails  for  America. —  Experiments  with 
the  Gulf  Stream 312 

CHAPTER  XXXIY. 

At  Home. — Elected  Member  of  the  Assembly. —  Delegate  to 
Congress. — Letter  to  Dr.  Priestley. —  Battle  of  Lexington. 

—  Private  Duties, —  Letter  to  Mrs.  Mecom,  —  Letter  from 
Mrs.  Mecom. —  From  Mrs.  Green. —  Letter  to  Mrs.  Hew 
son. —  Busy  Life. — Committee  of  Safety.  —  Draws  up  a 
Plan  of  Confederation. —  Indian  Affairs. — Secret  Commit 
tee. —  Secret  Correspondence.  — Commissioner  to  Canada. 

—  Postmaster  General,  —  Confers    with    Washington  at 
Cambridge.— Letter  to  Dr.  Priestley.— Battle  of  Bunker 
Hill. —  To  a  Friend  in  England.  — Petition  to  the  Crown. 

—  Mr,  Dickinson. —  The  Colonies  Ripe  for  Independence. 

—  Virginia  Recommends    Separation   from    England.  — 
Mecklenburg  County. —  Thomas  Jefferson. — John  Adams. 
— Extracts  from  the  Original  Draft. — Story  of  John  Thomp 
son,   the  Hatter. — John  Hancock. — Franklin's  Wit. — 
"  Hanging  Together"  and  "Hanging  Separately.'          322 

CHAPTER  XXXV. 

Great  Britain  Tries  Further  Negotiations. —  Lord  Howe  as  a 
Commissioner  to  Treat  with  the  Colonies. —  Franklin  one 
of  a  Committee  of  Conference. —  John  Adams'  Account  of 
the  First  Night  on  the  Way  to  New  York.  —  Scene  in  the 
Tavern. —  Fresh  Air. — Interview  with  Lord  Howe. — Mon 
ument  to  his  Brother.  — Franklin's  Reply  to  Howe.  —  No 
Result. —  Seeking  an  Alliance  with  France.  —  Appoint- 


10  CONTENTS. 

ment  of  Dr.  Franklin  as  Ambassador.  —  Leaves  America 
— His  Two  Grandsons, —  AtPassy. —  Effect  of  his  Arrival 

—  The   English  Ambassador.  —  How  Franklin  was  Re 
ceived. —  Jefferson's  Account. —  Playing  Chess  with  the 
Duchess  of  Bourbon. —  Letter  to  Mrs/Hewson, —  Describes 
his  own  Appearance. —  Letter  to  Another  Lady. —  Madame 
Campan's  Account. — Letter    from    Franklin. — French 
Ladies, —  Letter  from  Mrs.  Mecom. — Lord  Brougham, — 
Visited  by  Eminent  Persons, — Buff  on,  —  Voltaire, —  An 
Annoyance. —  Letter  of  Kecommendation. —  A  Model  Let 
ter. —  Lafayette. — New  Efforts  at  Reconciliation. — Ed 
mund  Burke. —  Philadelphia  and  General  Howe.  — Letter 
from  Mrs.  Bache. —  Treaties  of  Alliance  and  Commerce. — 
Independence  Recognized.  — Introduced  to  the  King. — 
Popular  Demonstrations.          .....      332 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

France  Prepares  for  War. —  Another  Trial  to  effect  Ameri 
can  Submission.  — David  Hartley.  — Bribes.  — Franklin's 
Official  Associates. —  Deane. — Lee.  —  Adams.  —  Franklin 
Chosen  Minister  Plenipotentiary.  — Adams  Returns  to 
America. — Family  Correspondence. — Letter  from  Mrs. 
Mecom. —  John  Hancock. —  State  of  Affairs  in  New  Eng 
land. —  Letter  from  Mrs.  Bache. —  A  Granddaughter.  — 
Prices  in  Philadelphia.  — Letter  from  Mrs.  Partridge.  — 
His  picture. —  Letter  from  Mrs.  Bache. —  Cost  of  Gloves. 

—  Cost  of  Living.  —  The  French  Minister.  —  General  and 
Mrs.  Washington. — Anecdote  of  Little  Ben. — Prayer  to 
Hercules. —  Franklin's  Reply. —  Medallions  of  Franklin. — 
His  Popularity  in    France.  — Spinning.  — Reproves    his 
Daughter. —  Plan  for  Removing  Temple  Franklin  from  his 
Office. —  Franklin's  Enemies. — Letter  From  Franklin. — 
His  Grandson. — Ben.    Bache.  —  Hercules. — Black  Pins 
and  Feathers. —  Lecture  on  Economy. —  Message  to  Gen 
eral  Washington. —  Letter  to  John  Jay. —  Luxury. —  His 
Daughter's  Reply. —  Defends  herself  from  the  Charge  of 
Extravagance.  —  Depreciated    Currency.  —  Letter    from 
Mrs.  Mecom. — Another  Letter. —  Crown  Soap. —  Captain 
Cook.— Moravian  Missionaries. — Philosophical  Researches. 

—  Aurora  Borealis.         .         .  »  344 

CHAPTER  XXXVII.V 

Letter  to  Washington. —  The  Future  of  America.  — Alliance 
of  Neutral  Powers.  — Privateering.  — Letter  to  Edmund 
Burke. —  On  War. —  Anxious  to  return  Home. —  Enemies. 

—  Letter    to  John    Adams. — Cornwallis'    Surrender. — 
Treaty  of  Paris. —  Letter  to  Sir  Joseph  Banks. —  Letter 
from    his    Grandson. — From  Mrs.   Mecom.  —  Letter  to 
Thomas  Brand  Hollis. — Doing  Good  as  a  Business. — 
"Gentlemen." — Animal    Magnetism. — The   American 


CONTENTS.  11 

Eagle. — The  Turkey. —  Letter  to  Henry  Lawrence. — An 
ticipates  Death.  —  Calumnies.  —  General  and  Particular 
Infallibility.— Saying  of  a  French  Lady. —  Letter  to  Mrs. 
Hewson. —  His  Infirmities.  — Letter  from  Mrs.  Mecom.  — 
His  Son. — Letter  to  his  Son. —  Treaty  between  Prussia  and 
the  United  States. —  Washington's  Opinion. —  Town  Li 
brary  in  Franklin,  Mass. —  Letter  to  Mr.  Strahan. —  Prmr— 
359 


CHAPTER   XXXVHI. 

A.  Successor  Appointed.  —  Thomas  Jefferson.  —  Letter  to 
David  Hartley.  —  "  Going  to  Bed."  —  Leaves  Passy.—  Sails 
from  Havre.  —  At  Southampton.  —  The  Bishop  of  Asaph. 

—  Meets  his  Son.  —  Welcomed  Home.  —  The  Gulf  Stream. 
Smoky  Chimneys.  —  Regrets  on  his  Leaving  France.  — 
Philosophical  Society.  —  Other  Public  Bodies.  —  Congratu 
latory  Letters.  —  President  of  Pennsylvania.  —  Letters  from 
Mrs.  Mecom.  —  Happy  in  his  Family.  —  Letters.  —  Views 
of  Death.  —  Large  Correspondence.  —  To  Mrs.  Hewson.  — 
His  Amusements.  —  To  Mrs.   Mecom.  —  Bad  Spelling.  — 
Phonography.  —  The  Servant  Girl.  —  Anniversary  of  Inde 
pendence  in  Philadelphia.  —  Letter  from  Mrs.  Mecom.  — 
Blackberry  Jelly.—  The  North  Church  Lightning-Rod.— 
Another  Letter.  —  Barrel  of  Flour.  —  Great  Snow  Storm. 

—  Letter  to  a  Friend  in  England.—  A  Future  State.      372 

CHAPTER  XXXI3T 


"  Plunged  into  Public  Business."  —  Member  of  the  Conven 
tion  that  Framed  the  Constitution.  —  Major  Forman.  — 
Washington.  —  Ipranklin.  —  Speech  on  Prayers  in  the  Con 
vention.  —  Divine  Providence.  —  Contest  between  the 
Larger  and  the  Smaller  States  —  Ineligibility  of  the  Presi 
dent  to  a  Second  Term.  —  Power  of  the  President.  —  James 
Madison.  —  Anecdote  of  Franklin.  —  Picture  of  a  Rising 
Sun.  —  Franklin's  Activity.  —  Bigelow.  —  Diary  of  Manas- 
sell  Cutler.—  His  visit  to  Franklin  in  1787.—  Letter  to 
Mrs.  Mecom.  —  How  to  Build  Fire-proof  Houses.  —  His 
Kindness.  —  Letter  from  Mrs.  Mecom.  —  Letter  from  his 
Niece.  —  What  is  Known  in  Heaven  of  Earthly  Things.  — 
Letter  to  his  Sister.  —  Letter  to  a  Friend.  —  Relief  from 
Public  Business.  —  Meeting  of  Societies  at  his  House.  — 
His  Domestic  Life.  —  Remedy  for  Deafness.  —  Abolition 
of  Slavery.  —  "  Plan  for  Improving  the  Condition  of  the 
Free  Blacks."  —Abolition  Memorial  to  Congress.  —  Last 
Sickness.  —  His  Cheerfulness.  —  Relates  Anecdotes.  —  His 
Sickness  Increases.  —  His  Patience.  —  Gratitude  to  God.  — 
His  Death.—  Dr.  Jones.—  Dr.  Rush.—  Mrs.  Hewson'  s  Ac 
count  of  his  Sickness  and  Death.—  Dr.  Watt's  Poems.— 
_HJ8  Religious  Views.  —  Letter  to  Thomas  Paine.  382 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  FBAMLIN. 


CHAPTER  I. 

Franklin's  Ancestry.  —  His  Father.  —  Popula 
tion  of  Massachusetts.  —  Boston  in  1680. — 
Franklin's  Home.  —  His  Father's  Second  Mar 
riage.  —  Peter  Folger.  —  His  Mother. 

BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN  came  of  a  race  of 
blacksmiths,  who,  in  the  town  of  Ecton,  Eng 
land,  during  three  centuries,  practiced  their 
manly  trade.  Doubtless  his  intensely  practical 
turn  of  mind  was  largely  inherited  from  his  an 
cestors.  In  his  character,  the  imaginative  and 
poetical  had  but  little  play,  far  less  than  with 
that  truly  typical  American,  Abraham  Lincoln  ; 
but  his  strong  and  brilliant  common  sense 
amounted  almost  to  genius.  "  He  had,"  says  an 
eminent  writer,  "  an  intellect  of  a  very  high 
order,  —  inventive,  capacious,  many-sided,  re 
tentive,"  and  "  was  a  man  of  the  most  uncom 
mon  common  sense."  Lord  Brougham  calls  him 
"  one  of  the  most  remarkable  men  of  our  times 
as  a  politician,  or  of  any  age  as  a  philosopher." 

(13) 


14  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

His  father,  Josiah  Franklin,  was  born  in  Eng 
land,  in  the  year  1655,  during  the  reign  of 
Charles  the  Second.  He  abandoned  the  ances 
tral  forge  for  a  dyer's  trade,  which,  again,  after 
his  emigration  to  Boston,  he  exchanged  for  that 
of  tallow-chandler  and  soap-boiler.  In  his  old 
home  he  had  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Puritans, 
and  in  1682,  the  very  year  of  William  Penn's 
arrival  in  Pennsylvania,  he  emigrated  to  the  New 
World,  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven,  with  his 
wife  and  three  small  children,  that  he  might  en 
joy  freedom  of  conscience. 

The  two  colonies  of  Massachusetts  and  Plym 
outh  had  at  that  time  a  population  of  about 
fifty  thousand.  Boston  was  a  small  town  of  five 
or  six  thousand  inhabitants,  and  the  very  next 
year  after  Josiah  Franklin's  arrival,  the  richest 
part  of  it  was  destroyed  by  fire.  Fifteen  years 
later  it  had  over  one  thousand  houses,  and  in 
eight  years  more  its  population  had  grown  to 
eight  or  ten  thousand.  John  Dunstan,  who  vis 
ited  the  place  in  1680,  says  that  "  the  houses 
were  for  the  most  part  raised  on  the  sea-banks, 
and  wharfed  out  with  great  industry  and  cost, 
many  of  them  standing  upon  piles,  close  together, 
on  each  side  of  the  street,  as  in  London,  and 
furnished  with  many  fair  shops.  .  .  The  south 
side  of  the  town  is  adorned  with  gardens  and 
orchards.  .  .  There  is  a  small  but  pleasant  Com 
mon,  where  the  gallants,  a  little  before  sunset, 
walk  with  their  marmalet  madams,  till  the  nine 
o'clock  bell  rings  them  home." 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FKANKLIN.  15 

Governor  Bradstreet,  "  an  old  man,  quiet  and 
grave,  dressed  in  black  silk,  but  not  sumptuously, 
dwelt  in  a  common  house."  There  were  then 
three  churches,  where  the  people  were  treated 
to  prayers  two  hours,  and  sermons  an  hour  and 
a  half  long.  The  stern  morality  of  the  times 
had  its  comical  side,  for  scolds  were  gagged,  and 
set  in  their  own  door-ways,  for  hours  together, 
for  all  passers-by  to  gaze  at.  The  town  had 
three  free  schools,  but  Harvard  College,  a  few 
miles  off,  had  but  ten  students,  and  they  were 
"  great  smokers."  In  the  year  of  Mr.  Franklin's 
landing,  Cotton  Mather  was  a  young  man  of 
nineteen,  just  rising  into  fame ;  and  John  Eliot, 
the  Apostle  to  the  Indians,  at  the  age  of  seven 
ty-eight,  was  within  eight  years  of  his  final 
reward. 

In  the  year  1691,  as  the  town  records  inform 
us,  Mr.  Franklin  was  authorized  to  erect  a  shop 
eight  feet  square,  in  which  to  carry  on  his  busi 
ness,  and  a  Blue  Ball,  hung  over  the  door,  told 
the  people  where  to  buy  soap  and  candles.  If 
he  did  not  become  rich,  he  must  have  enjoyed  at 
least  moderate  success,  as  he  was  able  to  bring 
up  plainly  but  comfortably,  a  very  large  family. 

"This  worthy  man  had,"  says  his  son  Benjamin,  "an 
excellent  constitution  of  body,  was  of  middle  stature,  but 
well  set,  and  very  strong;  he  was  ingenious,  could  draw 
prettily,  was  skilled  a  little  in  music,  and  had  a  clear,  pleas 
ing  voice,  so  that  when  he  played  psalm  tunes  on  his  violin, 
and  sung  withal,  as  he  sometimes  did  in  an  evening,  after 
the  business  of  the  day  was  over,  it  was  extremely  agreeable 


16  LIFE  OP  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

to  hear.  He  had  a  mechanical  genius,  too,  and  on  occasion, 
was  very  handy  in  the  use  of  other  tradesmen's  tools;  but 
his  great  excellence  lay  in  a  sound  understanding,  and  solid 
judgment  in  prudential  matters,  both  in  private  and  publick 
affairs.  In  the  latter,  indeed,  he  was  never  employed,  the 
numerous  family  he  had  to  educate,  and  the  straitness  of 
his  circumstances,  keeping  him  close  to  his  trade ;  but  I  re 
member  well  his  being  frequently  visited  by  leading  people, 
who  consulted  him  for  his  opinion  in  affairs  of  the  town  or 
of  the  church  he  belonged  to,  and  showed  a  good  deal  of  re 
spect  for  his  judgment  and  advice  ;  he  was  also  much  con 
sulted  by  private  persons  about  their  affairs,  when  any 
difficulty  occurred,  and  frequently  chosen  an  arbitrator  be 
tween  contending  parties.  At  his  table  he  liked  to  have,  as 
often  as  he  could,  some  sensible  friend  or  neighbor  to  con 
verse  with,  and  always  took  care  to  start  some  ingenious  or 
useful  topic  for  discourse,  which  might  tend  to  improve  the 
minds  of  his  children.  By  this  means  he  turned  our  atten 
tion  to  what  was  good,  just  and  prudent  in  the  conduct  of 
life ;  and  little  or  no  notice  was  ever  taken  of  what  related  to 
the  victuals  or  the  table,  whether  it  was  well  or  ill  dressed, 
in  or  out  of  season,  of  good  or  bad  flavor,  preferable  or  infe 
rior  to  this  or  that  other  thing  of  the  kind,  so  that  I  was 
brought  up  in  such  perfect  inattention  to  those  matters,  as 
to  be  quite  indifferent  what  kind  of  food  was  set  before  me, 
and  so  unobservant  of  it,  that  to  this  day  if  I  am  asked 
I  can  scarcely  tell,  a  few  hours  after  dinner,  what  I  dined 
upon." 

In  the  year  1689,  the  wife,  whom  thirteen  years 
before,  when  he  was  about  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  Josiah  Franklin  had  married  in  England, 
and  who  had  borne  him  seven  children,  was 
taken  to  rest.  His  second  wife,  the  mother  of 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  17 

Benjamin,  and  of  nine  other  children,  was  Abia 
Folger,  daughter  of  Peter  Folger,  of  Nantucket, 
"  a  godly  and  learned  Englishman."  Mr.  Folger 
deserves  most  honorable  mention  as  an  intelli 
gent  and  fearless  champion  of  the  rights  of  con 
science. 

Writing  of  his  mother,  Franklin  says :  "  She 
had  an  excellent  constitution.  .  .  I  never  knew 
either  my  father  or  mother  to  have  any  sickness 
but  that  of  which  they  died,  he  at  89,  and  she 
at  85  years  of  age.  They  lived  lovingly  togeth 
er  in  wedlock  fifty-five  years  :  .  .  he  was  a  pious 
and  prudent  man ;  she,  a  discreet  and  virtuous 
woman.  They  lie  buried  together  in  Boston." 

Parton  says,  "  It  is  probable  that  Benjamin 
Franklin  derived  from  his  mother  the  fashion  of 
his  body  and  the  cast  of  his  countenance.  There 
are  lineal  descendants  of  Peter  Folger  who 
strikingly  resemble  Franklin  in  these  particu 
lars." 

The  second  wife  was  the  mother  of  ten  chil 
dren,  six  of  whom  were  sons.  Jane,  the  youngest 
child,  six  years  younger  than  Benjamin,  was  his 
favorite  sister. 


18  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FEANLIN. 


CHAPTER  II. 

Franklin's  Birth. — Dr.    Willard.— Uncle  Ben 
jamin.  —  His  Father  s  House.  —  Family  Scene. 

—  Population  of  Massachusetts  and  of  Boston. 

—  Commerce  of  Boston.  —  Its  Social  Charac 
ter.  —  Madame  Knight.  —  Franklin  in  his  Boy 
hood.  —  "  Paying  to  much  for  the  Whistle.^  — 
Sent  to  Grrammer  School.  —  Changes  his  School. 

—  Taken  from  School.  — In  his  Father's  Shop. 

—  Building  a  Wharf.  —  Gets  into  Trouble.  — 
Fond  of  Swimming.  —  Learning  to  Swim.  — 
Swimming  with  a  Kite. — Sleeping  on  the  water 
in  1785. 

BENJAMIN  FKANKLIN  was  born  in  Boston, 
January  17,  1706,  in  the  fourth  year  of  Queen 
Anne.  It  was  yet  seventy  years  to  the  Decla 
ration  of  Independence. 

Franklin's  birth  occurred  on  Sunday.  That 
very  day  the  new-born  babe  was  taken  across 
the  street  to  the  Old  South  Church,  to  be  bap 
tized.  Dr.  Samuel  Willard,  a  man  of  learning, 
author  of  the  first  system  of  Divinity  published 
in  America,  and  a  zealous  controversialist,  was 
then  pastor  of  the  church.  Benjamin  was  the 
tenth  son  and  the  fifteenth  child.  He  was  named 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN    FAKNKLLN.  19 

from  his  uncle  Benjamin,  who,  in  1715,  came  to 
America,  and  died  in  Boston  in  1728,  at  an  ad 
vanced  age.  "  There  was,"  says  Franklin,  "  a 
particular  affection  between  him  and  my  father." 
He  was  very  pious,  a  lover  of  good  books,  and 
something  of  a  poet.  He  was  much  pleased 
that  his  brother  Josiah  had  named  one  of  his 
sons  after  him,  and  ever  took  a  deep  interest  in 
the  boy. 

After  he  came  to  Boston,  now  bereft  of  his 
wife  and  all  of  his  ten  children  but  one,  he  lived 
four  years  in  his  brother's  house,  a  beloved  and 
honored  guest,  only  leaving  it  when  his  son 
Samuel  became  a  housekeeper. 

At  the  time  Franklin  was  born,  his  father  lived 
in  a  plain,  two-story  wooden  house,  in  Milk 
Street,  near  Washington,  where  it  stood  till  1810, 
when  it  was  destroyed  by  fire.  It  was  twenty 
feet  on  the  front,  the  sides  and  a  lean-to  for  a 
kitchen  running  back  about  thirty  feet.  It  had 
a  gable  roof  toward  the  street,  and  the  second 
story  and  attic  projected  somewhat  over  the  first 
story.  The  whole  building  contained  four  rooms, 
one  on  the  ground  floor,  comprising  parlor,  sitting- 
room,  and  eating-room,  one  in  the  second  story, 
one  in  the  attic,  and  the  kitchen.  The  building 
was  covered  with  rude  clap-boards  on  the  front, 
and  shingles  on  the  sides  and  rear.  It  seems 
difficult  to  understand  how  two  rooms,  each 
twenty  feet  square,  and  an  attic  chamber,  could 
accommodate  a  family  of  fifteen  or  sixteen  ;  but, 
straitened  as  they  must  have  been  for  room,  a 


20  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FK  AN  KLIN. 

place  was  found  for  one  more,  when  good  Uncle 
Benjamin,  in  his  loneliness,  sought  his  brother's 
hospitality.  "  It  was,  indeed,  a  lowly  dwelling," 
wrote  Franklin's  youngest  sister,  "  we  were 
brought  up  in,  but  we  were  fed  plentifully,  made 
comfortable  with  fire  and  clothing,  had  seldom 
any  contention  among  us,  but  all  was  harmony, 
especially  between  the  heads,  and  they  were 
universally  respected,  and  the  most  of  the  fam 
ily  in  good  reputation."  A  pleasant  picture 
truly  it  must  have  been,  when,  as  Franklin  tells 
us,  "thirteen  were  sitting  at  one  time  at  his 
father's  table,"  while  the  fire  roared  in  the 
great  open  fire-place,  and  cheerful  and  instruct 
ive  conversation  was  carried  on  between  the 
parents  and  their  boys  and  girls.  No  wonder  a 
sensible  neighbor  liked  occasionally  to  share  the 
"  feast  of  reason "  at  Josiah  Franklin's,  soap 
boiler  and  candle-maker.  Here  was,  in  fact,  a 
rude  college,  presided  over  by  a  man  of  rare  wis 
dom,  and  which  sent  out  at  least  one  famous 
graduate,  "  the  largest  mind  that  has  shone  this 
side  the  sea." 

By  this  time  the  population  of  the  two  colo 
nies  had  increased  to  between  seventy  and  eighty 
thousand ;  that  of  Boston  to  ten  or  twelve 
thousand,  which  was  nearly  equal  to  the  whole 
population  of  New  York  and  Liverpool  at  that 
time.  Three  or  four  hundred  sail  were  sent  out 
to  foreign  ports.  "  The  conversation  in  this 
town,"  says  Neal,  speaking  of  this  period,  "  is  as 
polite  as  in  most  of  the  cities  and  towns  of  Eng- 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  FBANKLIN.  21 

land,  .  .  so  that  a  gentleman  from  London 
would  almost  think  himself  at  home  at  Boston, 
when  he  observes  the  number  of  people,  their 
houses,  their  furniture,  their  tables,  their  dress 
and  conversation,  which  perhaps  is  as  splendid 
and  showy  as  that  of  the  most  considerable 
tradesman  in  London."  It  is  still  more  to  its 
credit,  that,  in  such  society,  the  hard-working 
tallow-chandler  was  a  man  of  mark.  Labor  was 
honorable,  especially  when,  as  with  Josiah  Frank 
lin,  it  was  combined  with  solid  sense  and  sound 
principle. 

Franklin  was  born  near  what  was  then  the 
extreme  southern  limit  of  the  town.  Beyond 
were  fields  and  pastures  and  forests,  where  the 
boys  roamed  and  picked  berries,  or  set  their 
traps  for  squirrels  and  rabbits,  and  where,  not 
more  than  two  miles  out,  the  men  hunted  bears. 
The  town  extended  back  but  a  little  way  from 
the  shore,  and  over  a  large  territory  now  covered 
with  a  busy  population,  the  sea  still  rolled  its 
waves.  Communication  with  other  towns  and 
other  colonies  was  slow  and  difficult.  There  is 
extant  a  journal  of  Madame  Knight,  a  great  lady 
in  her  day,  "  of  good  wit  and  pleasant  humor," 
who  taught  Franklin  to  write,  in  which  she  gives 
a  lively  account  of  a  journey  she  made  on  busi 
ness  in  1704,  from  Boston  to  New  York,  two 
hundred  and  seventy-one  miles.  She  went  on 
horseback,  and  was  a  fortnight  on  her  way,  meet 
ing  here  and  there  a  settlement,  but  traveling 
for  the  most  part  through  the  ancient  forests,  by 


22  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANEXIK. 

a  bridle-path,  crossing  rivers  by  fords  or  ferries, 
encountering  swamps  and  Indians,  entertained 
now  by  the  Governor  of  Connecticut,  and  now 
by  the  humble  pioneers  of  the  wilderness. 

When  Benjamin  was  seven  years  old,  an  inci 
dent  occurred,  which  seems  to  have  made  a  deep 
impression  upon  his  mind,  as  he  thus  referred  to 
it  sixty-six  years  after,  in  a  letter  to  a  Preach 
lady  :  — 

"When  I  was  a  child  of  seven  years  old,  my  friends,  on  a 
holiday,  filled  my  pockets  with  coppers.  I  went  directly  to 
a  shop  where  they  sold  toys  for  children  ;  and  being  charmed 
with  the  sound  of  a  whistle,  that  I  met  by  the  way  in  the 
hands  of  another  boy,  I  voluntarily  offered  and  gave  all  my 
money  for  one.  I  then  came  home,  and  went  whistling  all 
over  the  house,  much  pleased  with  my  whistle,  but  disturb 
ing  all  the  family.  My  brothers  and  sisters  and  cousins,  un 
derstanding  the  bargain  that  I  had  made,  told  me  that  I  had 
given  four  times  as  much  for  it  as  it  was  worth  ;  put  me  in 
mind  what  good  things  I  might  have  bought  with  the  rest  of 
the  money;  and  laughed  at  me  so  much  for  my  folly,  that  I 
cried  with  vexation;  and  the  reflection  gave  more  chagrin 
than  the  whistle  gave  me  pleasure. 

"This,  however,"  he  adds,  "was  of  use  to  me,  the  im 
pression  continuing  on  my  mind  ;  so  that  often,  when  I  was 
tempted  to  buy  some  unnecessary  thing,  I  said  to  myself, 
give  too  much  for  the  whistle;'  so  I  saved  my 


"  As  I  grew  up,  came  into  the  world,  and  observed  the  ac 
tions  of  men,  I  thought  I  met  with  many,  very  many,  who 
gave  too  much  for  the  whistle." 

The  next  year  after  this   memorable   event, 
when  his  elder  brothers  were  put  apprentices  to 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN.  23 

different  trades,  young  Benjamin  was  sent  to  the 
grammar-school,  his  father  intending  to  carry  out 
the  Jewish  law,  in  devoting  him  as  the  tithe 
of  his  sons,  to  the  service  of  the  church,  as  a 
minister. 

"My  early  readiness  in  learning  to  read,"  he  says,  "  (which 
must  have  been  very  early,  as  I  do  not  remember  when  I 
could  not  read),  and  the  opinion  of  all  my  father's  friends, 
encouraged  him  in  this  purpose  of  his.  My  uncle  Benja 
min,  too,  approved  of  it,  and  proposed  to  give  me  all  his 
short-hand  volumes  of  sermons,  I  suppose  as  a  stock  to  set 
up  with.  I  continued,  however,  at  the  grammar-school  not 
quite  one  year,  though  in  that  time  I  had  risen  gradually 
from  the  middle  of  the  class  to  be  the  head  of  it,  and  farther, 
was  removed  into  the  next  class  above  it,  in  order  to  go  with 
that  into  the  third  at  the  end  of  the  year." 

The  father's  regard  for  the  Jewish  law  of 
tithes  seems  to  have  been  overborne  by  the  law 
of  necessity,  the  expense  of  a  college  course  be 
ing,  he  thought,  beyond  his  means.  There  was 
another  reason,  peculiarly  Franklinian,  for  giv 
ing  up  his  plan  of  educating  a  son  for  the  min 
istry;  it  was,  that  so  many  in  that  profession 
obtained  but  a  "  mean  living."  The  father,  good 
Christian  though  he  was,  could  readily  descend 
from  the  spiritual  to  the  material.  Perhaps  in 
this  we  find  one  reason  why  the  illustrious  sou 
seldom  rose  from  the  material  to  the  spiritual. 

From  the  grammar-school  and  prospective  les 
sons  in  Greek  and  Latin,  the  boy  of  nine  years 
was  sent  to  a  school  for  writing  and  arithmetic, 
kept  by  a  then  famous  man,  Mr.  George  Brown- 


24  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  FBANKLIN. 

ell.  Here  he  made  respectable  proficiency  in 
writing,  but  failed  in  arithmetic,  at  which  we 
wonder.  The  next  year,  when  he  was  ten  years 
old,  he  was  taken  home  to  assist  his  father  in  his 
business,  and  was  set  to  "  cutting  wicks  for  the 
candles,  filling  the  dipping-mold  and  the  molds 
for  cast-candles,  attending  the  shop,  going  of 
errands,  etc."  Thus  ended  his  school-life,  but 
not  his  education.  The  new  occupation,  how 
ever,  did  not  suit  him.  He  had  "a  strong  incli 
nation  for  the  sea,"  which  was  much  against  his 
father's  wishes,  he  having  had  a  sorry  experience 
in  that  line  from  an  older  son,  Josiah,  who  years 
before  had  run  away  to  sea,  and  had  never  sent 
back  a  message  of  where  he  was,  or  what  had 
befallen  him.  But  it  was  not  all  work  with  no 
play. 

"  Living  near  the  water,"  says  Franklin,  "  I  was  much  in 
and  about  it,  learnt  early  to  swim  well,  and  to  manage 
boats ;  and  when  in  a  boat  or  canoe  with  other  boys,  I  was 
commonly  allowed  to  govern,  especially  in  any  case  of  diffi 
culty;  and  upon  other  occasions  I  was  generally  a  leader 
among  the  boys"  (as  he  was  afterwards  a  leader  among 
men),  "and  sometimes  led  them  into  scrapes,  of  which  I 
will  mention  one  instance,  as  it  shows  an  early  projecting 
public  spirit,  though  not  then  justly  conducted. 

"  There  was  a  salt-marsh  that  bounded  part  of  the  mill- 
pond,  on  the  edge  of  which,  at  high  water,  we  used  to  stand 
to  fish  for  minnows.  By  much  trampling  we  had  made  it  a 
mere  quagmire.  My  proposal  was  to  build  a  wharf  there  fit 
for  us  to  stand  upon,  and  I  showed  my  comrades  a  largo 
heap  of  stones,  which  were  intended  for  a  new  house  neai 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  25 

the  marsh,  and  which  would  very  well  suit  our  purpose. 
Accordingly,  in  the  evening,  when  the  workmen  were  gone, 
I  assembled  a  number  of  my  playfellows,  and  working  with 
them  diligently,  like  so  many  emmets,  sometimes  two  or 
three  to  a  stone,  we  brought  them  all  away  and  built  our 
little  wharf.  The  next  morning  the  workmen  were  sur 
prised  at  missing  the  stones,  which  were  found  in  our  wharf. 
Inquiry  was  made  after  the  removers ;  we  were  discovered 
and  complained  of;  several  of  us  were  corrected  by  our 
fathers ;  and,  although  I  pleaded  the  usefulness  of  the  work, 
mine  convinced  me  that  nothing  was  useful  which  was  not 
honest." 

Here  we  see  the  philosopher  in  the  roguish 
boy ;  and  one  can  easily  believe  that  the  grave 
father,  before  proceeding  to  lay  the  rod  upon  the 
culprit's  back,  inwardly  smiled,  and  proudly 
too,  at  his  attempt  to  prove  the  usefulness  of  his 
work.  Perhaps  the  famous  adage  of  "Poor 
Richard,"  Honesty  is  the  best  policy,  may  be 
traced  back  to  the  father's  wise  reproof. 

Young  Franklin  also  took  great  delight  in 
swimming,  and  he  ever  regarded  it  as  a  "  most 
healthy  and  agreeable  exercise."  Writing  to  a 
friend,  long  years  after,  he  said :  — 

"  I  cannot  be  of  opinion  with  you,  that  it  is  too  late  in 
life  for  you  to  learn  to  swim.  The  river  near  the  bottom  of 
your  garden  affords  a  most  convenient  place  for  the  purpose. 
And,  as  your  new  employment  requires  your  being  often  on 
the  water,  of  which  you  have  such  a  dread,  I  think  you 
would  do  well  to  make  the  trial ;  nothing  being  so  likely  to 
remove  those  apprehensions,  as  is  the  consciousness  of  an 
ability  to  swim  to  the  shore  in  case  of  an  accident,  or  of  sup- 


26  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

porting  yourself  in  the  water  till  a  boat  could  come  to  take 
you  up." 

Writing  to  another  friend,  when  now  an  old 
man,  he  told  this  story  of  his  boyhood : 

"  When  I  was  a  boy  I  made  two  oval  pallets,  each  about 
ten  inches  long,  and  six  broad,  with  a  hole  for  the  thumb, 
in  order  to  retain  it  fast  in  the  palm  of  my  hand.  They 
much  resembled  a  painter's  pallets.  In  swimming  I  pushed 
the  edges  of  these  forward,  and  I  struck  the  water  with 
their  flat  surfaces  as  I  drew  them  back.  I  remember  I  swam 
faster  by  means  of  these  pallets,  but  they  fatigued  my  wrists. 
I  also  fitted  to  the  soles  of  my  feet  a  kind  of  sandals ;  but  I 
was  not  satisfied  with  them,  because  I  observed  that  the 
stroke  is  partly  given  by  the  inside  of  the  feet  and  ankles, 
and  not  entirely  with  the  soles  of  the  feet." 

The  little  philosopher  Wc^s  even  then  connect 
ing  science  with  sport,  of  which  he  gives  us 
another  example :  — 

"  I  amused  myself  one  day  with  flying  a  paper  kite;  and 
approaching  the  bank  of  a  pond,  which  was  near  a  mile 
broad,  I  tied  the  string  to  a  stake,  and  the  kite  ascended  to  a 
very  considerable  height  above  the  pond,  while  I  was  swim 
ming.  In  a  little  time,  being  desirous  of  amusing  myself 
with  my  kite,  and  enjoying  at  the  same  time  the  pleasure  of 
swimming,  I  returned ;  and,  loosing  from  the  stake  the  string 
with  the  little  stick  which  was  fastened  to  it,  went  again  into 
the  water,  where  I  found  that,  lying  on  my  back,  and  hold 
ing  the  stick  in  my  hands,  I  was  drawn  along  the  surface  of 
the  water  in  a  very  agreeable  manner.  Having  then  engaged 
another  boy  to  carry  my  clothes  round  the  pond,  to  a  place 
which  I  pointed  out  to  him  on  the  other  side,  I  began  to 
cross  the  pond  with  my  kite,  which  carried  me  quite  over 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  27 

without  the  least  fatigue,  and  with  the  greatest  pleasure 
imaginable.  I  was  only  obliged,  occasionally,  to  halt  a  little 
in  my  course,  and  resist  the  progress,  when  it  appeared  that, 
by  following  too  quick,  I  lowered  the  kite  too  much;  by  do 
ing  which  occasionally,  I  made  it  rise  again.  I  have  never 
since  that  time  practiced  this  singular  mode  of  swimming, 
though  I  think  it  not  impossible  to  cross  in  this  manner 
from  Dover  to  Calais." 

This  familiarity  with  the  water  in  his  boyish 
days  enabled  him  later  in  life  to  perform  an  al 
most  incredible  feat.  In  his  journal,  July  25, 
1785,  when  he  was  in  England,  and  now  seventy- 
nine  years  old,  he  wrote  : 

"  I  went  at  noon  to  bathe  in  Martin's  salt-water  hot-bath, 
and,  floating  on  my  back,  fell  asleep,  and  slept  near  an  hour 
by  my  watch,  without  sinking  or  turning!  A  thing  I  never 
did  before,  and  should  hardly  have  thought  possible.  Water 
is  the  easiest  bed  that  can  be." 


28  LIFE  OF    BENJ4MIN    FRANKLIN. 


CHAPTER  III. 

His  Brother  John.  —  Dislikes  his  Fathers  Trade. 
—  Looking  for  a  Trade. — Fond  of  Books. — 
The  Books  he  Read. —  Cotton  Mather. — Be 
comes  a  Printer's  Apprentice  to  his  Brother 
James.  —  Borrowing  Books.  —  Writing  Poetry 
and  Prose. — Improving  his  Style. — How  he 
Bought  Books.  —  His  Diet.  —  The  Character 
of  his  Reading. — Fond  of  Discussions. 

11 1  continued,"  writes  Franklin,  "  in  my  father's  business 
for  the  year,  that  is,  till  I  was  twelve  years  old;  and  my 
brother  John,  who  was  bred  to  that  business,  having  left  my 
father,  married,  and  set  up  for  himself  in  Khode  Island, 
there  was  all  appearance  that  I  was  destined  to  supply  his 
place,  and  become  a  tallow-chandler.  But  my  dislike  to  the 
trade  continuing,  my  father  was  under  apprehensions  that  if 
he  did  not  find  one  for  me  more  agreeable,  I  should  break 
away  and  get  to  sea,  as  his  son  Josiah  had  done,  to  his  great 
vexation.  He  therefore  sometimes  took  me  to  walk  with 
him,  and  see  joiners,  bricklayers,  turners,  braziers,  etc.,  at 
their  work,  that  he  might  observe  my  inclination,  and  en 
deavor  to  fix  it  on  some  trade  or  other  on  hand.  It  has  ever 
since  been  a  pleasure  to  me  to  see  good  workmen  handle 
their  tools ;  and  it  has  been  useful  to  me,  having  learnt  so 
much  by  it  as  to  be  able  to  do  little  jobs  myself  in  my 
house  when  a  workman  could  not  readily  be  got,  and  to  con- 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  29 

struct  little  machines  for  my  experiments,  while  the  inten 
tion  of  making  the  experiment  was  fresh  and  warm  in  my 
mind.  My  father  at  last  fixed  upon  the  cutler's  trade,  and 
my  Uncle  Benjamin's  son  Samuel,  who  was  bred  to  that 
business  in  London,  being  about  that  time  established  in 
Boston,  I  was  sent  to  be  with  him  some  time  on  liking.  But 
his  expectations  of  a  fee  with  me  displeasing  my  father,  I 
was  taken  home  again." 

This  period  of  uncertainty  and  change  was  fai 
from  being  lost  time.  We  have  seen  the  boy's 
habits  of  close  observation,  and  his  inventive 
turn  of  mind.  Though  not  at  school,  he  was 
always  learning  something  new,  which  he  after 
ward  turned  to  account  when  he  became  a  man. 
His  very  sports  were  scientific  experiments,  his 
sad  experience  with  the  stone  wharf  was  a  lesson 
in  engineering.  He  was  also  a  great  reader. 
From  a  very  early  age  he  had  a  book  in  his  hand, 
and  this  fondness  for  reading  was  to  prove  the 
clue  to  lead  him  to  a  suitable  trade.  "  All  the 
little  money  that  came  into  my  hands,"  he  tells 
us,  "  was  ever  laid  out  in  books.  Pleased  with 
the  Pilgrim's  Progress,  my  first  collection  was 
of  John  Bunyan's  works,  in  separate  little  vol 
umes."  These  he  afterwards  sold  to  enable  him 
to  buy  a  work  in  forty  or  fifty  small  volumes, 
much  praised  by  Dr.  Johnson,  Burton's  Histor 
ical  Collections.  But  such  a  mind'  as  his,  so 
eager  for  knowledge,  was  sure  to  wander  into 
other  pastures.  What  he  could  not  buy  he  would 
borrow.  Lighting  upon  Plutarch's  Lives,  he 
read  them  with  great  avidity  and  advantage,  and 


30  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    IMiANKLlN. 

no  wonder ;  for  as  has  been  truly  said,  "The 
charm  of  Plutarch's  writings  has  been  felt  and 
owned  by  old  and  young,  soldier  and  statesman, 
the  philosopher  and  the  man  of  business." 

Franklin  tells  us  that  a  book  of  De  Foe's, 
called  an  Essay  on  Projects,  and  another  of  Dr. 
Mather's,  called  Essays  to  do  Good,  written  in 
quaint  style,  like  everything  else  from  his  pro 
lific  pen,  gave  him  a  turn  of  thinking  that  had 
an  influence  on  some  of  the  future  events  of  his 
life.  A  letter  which  he  wrote  in  1784,  when  he 
was  seventy-eight  years  old,  to  Samuel  Mather, 
shows  the  influence  of  a  good  book. 

"  When  I  was  a  boy,  I  met  with  a  book  entitled  "  Essays 
to  do  Good,"  which  I  think  was  written  by  your  father 
(Cotton  Mather).  It  had  been  so  little  regarded  by  a  former 
possessor,  that  several  leaves  of  it  were  torn  out;  but  the 
remainder  gave  me  such  a  turn  of  thinking  as  to  have  an  in 
fluence  on  my  conduct  through  life ;  for  I  have  always  set  a 
greater  value  on  the  character  of  a  doer  of  good,  than  on 
any  other  kind  of  reputation ;  and  if  I  have  been,  as  you 
seem  to  think,  a  useful  citizen,  the  public  owes  the  advan 
tage  of  it  to  that  book." 

One  thing  is  to  be  noted ;  Franklin,  boy  that 
he  was,  knew  how  to  read.  He  read  good  books, 
and  read  them  carefully,  so  as  to  make  them 
his  own  possession.  They  instructed  him  and 
stimulated  him. 

"This  bookish  inclination,"  he  informs  us,  "at  length 
determined  my  father  to  make  me  a  printer,  though  he  had 
already  one  son  (James)  of  that  profession.  In  1717  my 
brother  returned  from  England  with  a  press  and  letters  to 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  31 

fret  up  his  business  in  Boston.  I  liked  it  much  better  than 
that  of  my  father,  but  still  had  a  hankering  for  the  sea.  To 
prevent  the  apprehended  effect  of  such  an  inclination,  my 
father  was  impatient  to  have  me  bound  to  my  brother.  I 
stood  out  for  some  time,  but  at  last  was  persuaded,  and 
signed  the  indentures  when  I  was  yet  but  twelve  years  old. 
I  was  to  serve  as  an  apprentice  till  I  was  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  only  I  was  to  be  allowed  journeyman's  wages  during  the 
last  year.  In  a  little  time  I  made  great  proficiency  in  the 
business,  and  became  a  useful  hand  to  my  brother." 

He  is  careful  to  tell  us  that  he  now  had  access 
to  better  books.  There  were  several  bookstores 
in  the  town,  and  now  and  then  he  borrowed  a 
small  book  from  the  apprentices  of  the  book 
sellers,  which  he  returned  "soon  and  clean." 
Often  he  read  far  into  the  night,  that  the  book 
thus  silly  drawn  by  a  young  friend's  hand  from 
the  store  shelves  at  evening,  might  be  returned 
early  in  the  morning,  lest  it  should  be  missed  or 
wanted.  He  also  found  a  friend  in  "an  ingen 
ious  tradesman,"  Mr.  Matthew  Adams,  who, 
observing  his  literary  enthusiasm,  invited  him  to 
his  library,  "  a  pretty  collection  of  books,"  and 
very  kindly  loaned  him  such  as  he  wanted. 

He  now  took  a  fancy  to  poetry,  and  began  to 
compose  ballads. 

"One,"  he  tells  us,  "was  called  'The  Light-house  Trag 
edy,'  and  contained  an  account  of  the  drowning  of  Captain 
Worthilake,  with  his  two  daughters :  the  other  was  a  '  Sailor's 
Song,'  on  the  taking  of  Teach  (or  Blackhead)  the  pirate. 
They  were  wretched  stuff,  in  the  Grub-street-ballad  style; 
and  when  they  were  printed,  he  sent  me  about  the  town  to 
sell  them.  The  first  sold  wonderfully,  the  event,  being 


32  LIFE  OP  BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN. 

recent,  having  made  a  great  noise.  This  flattered  my 
vanity:  but  my  father  discouraged  me  by  ridiculing  my  per 
formances,  and  telling  me  verse-makers  were  generally  beg 
gars.  So  I  escaped  being  a  poet,  most  probably  a  very  bad 
one." 

He  now  wisely  turned  his  attention  to  prose- 
writing,  his  success  in  which,  he  tells  us,  was  of 
great  use  to  him  in  after  life,  and  a  principal 
means  of  his  advancement.  His  style,  even  when 
a  young  man,  was  remarkable  for  its  purity,  sim 
plicity  and  grace,  as  well  as  for  its  manly  vigor. 
His  thirst  for  knowledge  made  it  necessary 
that  he  should  devise  some  means  of  raising 
money  for  buying  books.  He  was  now  about 
sixteen  years  of  age,  an  age  when  boys  are  apt 
to  have  ravenous  appetites,  and  to  be  content 
with  nothing  short  of  an  ample  supply  of  good 
things.  But  Franklin  had  learned  from  his  fa 
ther  the  difficult  lesson  of  being  quite  indifferent 
to  the  quality  of  his  food.  Give  him  plain  fare 
and  he  asked  no  more.  This  helped  him  to  a 
happy  financial  expedient.  A  book,  recommend 
ing  a  vegetable  diet,  just  then  falling  in  his  way, 
with  which  he  was  much  pleased,  he  proposed  to 
his  brother,  who,  being  unmarried,  did  not  keep 
house,  but  boarded  himself  and  his  apprentices 
in  another  family,  that  if  he  would  give  him 
weekly  half  the  money  paid  for  his  board,  he 
would  board  himself.  He  found  that  he  could 
save  half  that  was  paid  him,  and  so  he  had  a 
book-fund. 
"But,"  he  adds,  "I  had  another  advantage  in  it  My 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  33 

brother  and  the  rest  going  from  the  printing-house  to  their 
meals,  I  remained  there  alone,  and,  dispatching  presently  my ' 
ligh  t  repast,  which  often  was  no  more  than  a  biscuit  or  a 
slice  of  bread,  a  handful  of  raisins  or  a  tart  from  the  pastry 
cook's,  and  a  glass  of  water,  had  the  rest  of  the  time  till 
their  return  for  study,  in  which  I  made  the  greater  progress, 
from  that  greater  clearness  of  head,  and  quicker  apprehen 
sion,  which  usually  attend  temperance  in  eating  and  drink 
ing." 

About  this  time,  also,  he  made  up  his  deficiency 
in  arithmetic,  read  two  books  on  navigation,  and 
made  a  slight  acquaintance  with  geometry.  The 
solidiby  and  maturity  of  his  mind,  even  so  young, 
are  seen  in  his  reading  such  works  as  Locke 
On  the  Human  Under standing ,  and  the  Art  of 
Thinking,  by  the  Port-Royalists. 

In  a  little  work  on  English  grammar,  he  found 
something  upon  rhetoric  and  logic,  and  a  speci 
men  of  the  Socratic  method  of  disputation.  He 
procured,  also,  a  translation  of  the  Memorabilia 
of  Socrates,  with  which  he  was  greatly  charmed, 
and  he  resolved  to  drop  his  positive  and  dog 
matic  style  of  argument,  and  "put  on  the  hum 
ble  inquirer  and  doubter."  Having  become 
something  of  a  free-thinker  from  the  perusal  of 
infidel  books,  he  took  pleasure  in  applying  his 
new  method  of  reasoning  to  religious  subjects. 
"With  an  air  of  peculiar  sincerity  and  candor,  as 
if  his  only  wish  was  to  discover  truth,  he  would 
modestly  start  inquiries,  and  draw  people,  even 
of  superior  knowledge,  into  entangling  conces 
sions,  by  which  he  gained  an  apparent  easy 


34  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

victory.  This  was  more  gratifying  to  his  pride 
than  favorable  to  the  discovery  of  truth,  and 
tended  to  confirm  him  in  views  which  he  had 
done  better  not  to  entertain.  The  real  humility 
which  leads  to  truth  was  wanting.  He  came  to 
some  such  conclusion  himself,  after  a  few  years, 
and  formed  the  habit  of  expressing  himself  in 
terms  of  modest  diffidence.  Instead  of  the 
words  certainly,  undoubtedly,  and  others  which 
had  an  air  of  positiveness,  he  would  say,  "  1 
should  think  it  so  and  so,  for  such  and  such  rea 
sons  ;  or,  "  I  imagine  it  to  be  so,"  or,  "  It  is  so,  if  1 
am  not  mistaken" 

"  This  habit,"  lie  adds,  "has,  I  believe,  been  of  great  ad 
vantage  to  me  when  I  have  had  occasion  to  inculcate  my 
opinions,  and  persuade  men  into  measures  that  I  have  been 
from  time  to  time  engaged  in  promoting;  and,  as  the  chief 
ends  of  conversation  are  to  inform  or  to  be  informed,  to 
please  or  to  persuade,  I  wish  well-meaning,  sensible  men 
would  not  lessen  their  power  of  doing  good  by  a  positive, 
assuming  manner,  that  seldom  fails  to  disgust,  tends  to  cre 
ate  opposition,  and  to  defeat  every  one  of  those  purposes  for 
which  speech  was  given  to  us,  to  wit,  giving  or  receiving 
information  or  pleasure." 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN    FKANKLIN.  35 


CHAPTER  IV. 

The  New  Paper  in  Franklin's  Day. — A  Neivs- 
loy.  —  Writing  for  a  Newspaper.  —  His  Brother 
James  a  Hard  Master.  —  Benjamin  becomes 
Manager  of  the  Courant.  —  Resolves  to  Break 
his  Engagement. 

THE  newspaper  is  peculiarly  a  modern  insti 
tution.  Within  the  latter  part  of  the  present 
century  it  has  become  a  great  power  in  the 
world.  But  in  Franklin's  day  it  was,  compar- 
itively,  a  feeble  child,  of  small  size  and  scant 
utterance,  giving  but  faint  promise  of  the  pro 
portions  it  has  since  assumed,  and  the  vast  in 
fluence  it  now  exerts.  The  first  attempt  at  an 
American  newspaper,  in  Boston,  in  the  year 
1690,  was  suppressed  by  the  authorities,  as  a 
dangerous  innovation,  a  second  number  never 
seeing  the  light.*  It  was  fourteen  years  before 
any  person  again  essayed  so  formidable  a  ven 
ture.  In  1704,  the  Boston  News-Letter  asked 
permission  to*  publish,  on  the  half  of  a  foolscap 
sheet,  —  uby  authority,"  it  is  careful  to  state  — 
a  few  harmless  advertisements  and  items  of 
news.  It  would  not  venture  to  express  an  opin- 

*  Frothingham's  Rise  of  the  Republic,  page  129. 


36  LIFE   OF   BENJAJHIN    FRANKLIN. 

ion.  Readers  were  left  to  draw  their  own  infer 
ences.  Though  Massachusetts  has  the  honor  of 
having  established,  as  the  first  college,  so  also 
the  first  printing-press  in  America,  yet  it  detracts 
from  her  credit  that,  from  the  first,  she  put  re 
strictions  upon  its  freedom,  keeping  a  sharp 
look-out  upon  its  issues,  lest  some  erroneous  doc 
trine,  or  some  opinion  derogatory  to  the  govern 
ment,  should  by  it  obtain  currency.  Legal 
restraints  were  not  removed  till  1755,  nearly 
fifty  years  after  Franklin's  birth.  And  so  Mr. 
Campbell,  the  editor,  spoke  only  as  he  was  au-  , 
thorized. 

In  1719,  appeared  the  Boston  Gazette,  which 
was  printed  by  James  Franklin,  who,  the  year 
after,  commenced  a  paper  of  his  own,  The  New 
England  Courant.  "  He  was  dissuaded,"  says 
his  brother  Benjamin,  "  by  some  of  his  friends, 
from  the  undertaking,  as  not  likely  to  succeed, 
one  newspaper  being,  in  their  judgment,  enough 
for  America."  But  he  believed  there  was  room 
for  another,  of  a  superior  character  to  what  had 
yet  appeared,  and  went  forward  with  his  under 
taking,  being  both  editor  and  printer.  Benja 
min,  the  apprentice,  was  employed  to  carry  the 
paper  through  the  streets  to  the  customers.  He 
began  with  being  a  news-boy,  and  a  large  part 
oi  his  subsequent  life  was  devoted  to  manufact 
uring  and  scattering  news.  He  was  a  history- 
maker  on  a  large  scale. 

Such  a  bright,  ingenious  spirit  as  his  could  not 
be  confined  to  the  mere  mechanical  drudgery  of 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  37 

a,  newspaper.  "  Hearing  the  conversations  of  sev 
eral  contributors,  and  their  accounts  of  the  appro 
bation  their  papers  were  received  with,  he  was 
excited  to  try  his  hand  among  them."  He  was 
now  in  his  sixteenth  year.  In  a  disguised  hand 
he  prepared  an  anonymous  article,  and  placed 
it  under  the  door  of  the  printing-house.  "  It 
was  found,"  he  says,  uin  the  morning,  and  com 
municated  to  his  friends,  when  they  called  in  as 
usual.  They  read  it,  commented  on  it  in  my 
hearing,  and  I  had  the  exquisite  pleasure  of 
finding  it  met  with  their  approbation,  and  that, 
in  their  different  guesses  at  the  author,  none 
were  named  but  were  of  some  character  among 
us  for  learning  and  ingenuity."  He  was  thus 
encouraged  to  write  several  more  papers,  which 
were  also  a  success.  But  when  a  quite  natural 
vanity  led  him  to  divulge  Ids  secret,  and  he  be 
gan  to  take  a  higher  place  in  the  consideration 
of  the  printing-house  coterie,  his  brother  became 
a  little  jealous  of  the  rising  reputation  of  his 
apprentice-boy.  He  told  Benjamin  that  literary 
aspirations  made  him  vain,  which  the  youthful 
writer  tells  us  was  very  probably  true.  James 
Franklin  seems  to  have  been  a  hard  master.  He 
was  passionate,  and  often  beat  his  apprentice, 
forgetting  that  the  apprentice  was  also  a  brother. 
They  had  many  disputes  between  them,  which, 
when  carried  before  their  father,  were  generally 
decided  in  favor  of  the  younger.  The  yoke  was 
burdensome  to  a  person  of  Benjamin's  spirit, 
and  in  an  unexpected  manner  an  opportunity 


38  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FKANKLIN. 

came  for  throwing  it  off.     He  thus  tells  the  story 
of  his  deliverance :  — 

"  One  of  the  pieces  in  our  newspaper,  on  some  political 
point,  which  I  have  now  forgotten,  gave  offense  to  the  Assem 
bly.  My  brother  was  taken  up,  censured,  and  imprisoned 
for  a  month  by  the  speaker's  warrant,  I  suppose,  because  he 
would  not  discover  his  author.  I,  too,  was  taken  up  and 
examined  before  the  council,  but  though  I  did  not  give  them 
any  satisfaction,  they  contented  themselves  with  admonishing 
me,  and  dismissed  me,  considering  me,  perhaps,  as  an  ap 
prentice,  who  was  bound  to  keep  his  master's  secrets. 

"  During  my  brother's  confinement,  which  I  resented  a  good 
deal,  notwithstanding  our  private  differences,  I  had  the  man 
agement  of  the  paper;  and  I  made  bold  to  give  our  rulers 
some  rules  in  it,  which  my  brother  took  very  kindly,  while 
others  began  to  consider  me  in  an  unfavorable  light,  as  a 
young  genius  that  had  a  turn  for  libelling  and  satire.  My 
brother's  discharge  was  accompanied  with  an  order  of  the 
House  (a  very  odd  one),  that  *  James  Franklin  should  no 
longer  print  the  paper  called  the  New  England  CourantS  " 

The  Courant,  we  may  remark,  was  a  very  in 
dependent  and  racy  paper,  "  touching  with  great 
freedom  the  vices  and  follies  of  the  time.  The 
weapon  of  satire  was  used  with  an  unsparing 
hand.  Neither  the  government  nor  the  clergy 
escaped."  It  contained  "  some  severe  and  hu 
morous  criticisms  on  the  poets  of  the  day,  which 
may  be  classed  with  the  best  specimens  of  this 
kind  of  composition  in  the  modern  reviews."  * 

After  due  consultation  among  the  friends  of 
the  paper,  it  was  decided  to  print  it  under  the 

•  Sparks.  Vol.  I. 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN.  39 

name  of  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN;  and,  to  avoid 
the  censure  of  the  Assembly,  that  might  come 
from  its  being  printed  by  an  apprentice,  he  was 
to  be  cleared  from  his  indenture,  and  to  sign  new 
papers,  which  were  to  be  kept  private.  And  so 
the  ill-used  apprentice  had  gained  a  position  of 
more  independence.  Fresh  differences  ere  long 
having  arisen  between  the  brothers,  Benjamin 
used  his  advantage  to  break  his  engagement  and 
assert  his  freedom,  believing  that  his  brother 
would  not  dare  to  produce  the  indentures.  He 
had  some  scruples  as  to  the  propriety  of  this 
course,  but  bis  feelings  of  resentment  prevailed, 
and  he  quit  the  office.  *  His  brother  was  of 
course  indignant,  and  took  his  revenge  by  repre 
senting  Benjamin  in  an  unfavorable  light  at  all 
the  other  printing-houses  in  the  town,  so  as  to 
prevent  his  getting  employment.  It  is  possible 
that  he  may  have  thought  to  get  his  brother  back 
by  reducing  him  to  extremities.  Benjamin,  how 
ever,  had  no  intention  of  returning  to  his  bon 
dage.  He  had  a  brave  spirit,  and  believed  that 
he  could  look  out  for  himself.  And  so  ended  his 
life  in  Boston.  He  went  forth  to  seek  his  for 
tune. 


40  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN. 


CHAPTER  V. 

Huns  Away.  —  G-oes  in  a  Sloop  to  New  York.  — 
Vegetarian  Principles  Tested. — Eating  Fish. 
In  New  York.  —  Seeks  Employment  at  his 
Trade.  —  G-oes  to  Philadelphia.  —  The  Voyage. 

—  A  Dutchman  Overboard.  —  Stops  at  Burling 
ton.  —  Dr.  Brown.  —  Reaches  Philadelphia.  — 
Description  of  the  City.  —  Walking  the  Streets. 

—  Eating  Rolls.  —  Falls  Asleep  in  a  Meeting 
house.  —  Bradford  the  Printer.  —  Keimer. 

FRANKLIN  was  now  seventeen  years  of  age, 
and  of  course  still  under  his  father's  guardian 
ship.  He  well  knew  that  his  father  would  not 
consent  to  his  leaving  Boston,  especially  as  he 
blamed  him  for  breaking  with  his  brother,  and 
was,  perhaps,  hoping  to  persuade  him  to  return 
to  the  office.  But  to  go  he  was  determined,  and 
the  only  course  open  before  him  was  to  run 
away.  He  was  the  more  inclined  to  this  from 
having  made  himself  obnoxious  to  the  governing 
party,  and  from  the  consequent  fear  that  a  fur 
ther  stay  might  bring  him  into  trouble.  Besides, 
his  indiscreet  disputations  about  religion  had 
brought  him  into  disrepute  with  the  good  people 
of  the  town.  He  was  by  no  means  a  coward. 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  41 

as  he  had  already  shown;  in  fact,  he  had.  given 
too  much  license  to  his  tongue  and  pen  ;  but,  as 
he  had  probably  acted  the  part  rather  of  a  sportive 
ca viler  than  of  an  earnest  champion  of  truth,  seek 
ing  more  to  surprise  and  annoy,  or  else  to  amuse, 
by  startling  novelties,  than  to  produce  convic 
tion,  he  easily  persuaded  himself  that  it  would 
be  advisable,  certainly  more  agreeable,  to  trans 
fer  himself  to  a  new  field  of  action.  But  it  re 
quired  some  ingenuity  to  escape  unobserved. 
As  we  have  seen  from  the  experience  of  Madame 
Knight,  it  was  no  short  and  easy  excursion  to 
New  York,  to  which  town  he  had  made  up  his 
mind,  if  possible,  to  go,  as  the  nearest  place 
where  there  was  a  printer.  His  friend  Collins, 
the  "  bookish  "  young  man,  offered  to  manage 
for  him,  and  secured  him  a  passage  in  a  New 
York  sloop,  making  up  a  little  story  to  deceive 
the  captain.  With  a  little  money  in  his  pocket, 
obtained  from  the  sale  of  some  of  his  books, 
from  which  he  was  probably  the  more  willing  to 
part  from  having  their  contents  well  stored  away 
in  his  head,  he  was  taken  privately  on  board. 
Off  Block  Island  they  were  becalmed,  and  the 
crew  made  a  fine  haul  of  cod.  Franklin's  vege 
tarian  principles  were  now  put  to  a  severe  test. 
So  far  he  had  stuck  to  his  resolution  to  eat  noth 
ing  that  had  life,  and  he  regarded  the  capture 
of  these  fish  as  little  short  of  murder.  He  would 
not  share  in  the  guilt  by  partaking  of  them. 
But  the  savory  smell  of  the  fish,  as  they  came 
out  of  the  frying-pan,  produced  a  violent  conflict 


42  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN. 

between  principle  and  inclination.  A  mind  so 
ingenious  as  his  was  not  long,  however,  in  sus 
pense,  especially  in  sight  and  smell  of  a  favorite 
article  of  food.  He  would  not  yield  to  appetite 
without  a  reason,  but  such  relief  was  speedily 
found.  He  recollected  that,  when  the  fish  were 
opened,  he  saw  smaller  fish  taken  out  of  their 
stomachs,  and  the  happy  thought  flashed  upon 
him,  "  If  you  eat  one  another,  I  don't  see  why 
we  may  not  eat  you."  Thus,  at  once,  reason, 
conscience  and  appetite  all  conspired  to  banish 
his  scruples.  He  dined  heartily  upon  the  fish, 
and  was  so  well  satisfied  with  the  conclusion  to 
which  he  had  come,  that  from  that  time  he  only 
now  and  then  returned  to  a  vegetable  diet.  "  So 
convenient  a  thing  it  is,"  says  this  happy  logi 
cian,  "  to  be  a  reasonable  creature,  since  it  ena 
bles  one  to  find  or  make  a  reason  for  everything 
one  has  a  mind  to." 

After  this,  a  fair  wind,  springing  up,  took  the 
vessel  in  three  days  to  New  York.  Here  he 
found  himself  three  hundred  miles  from  home, 
a  stranger  to  everybody,  without  a  letter  of  rec 
ommendation,  and  almost  without  money.  But 
he  had  a  brave  heart,  a  comfortable  amount  of 
self-reliance,  and  a  trade.  His  passion  for  the 
sea  had  been  cured  by  the  taste  of  it  he  had  got 
on  his  brief  voyage,  and  he  set  himself  at  once  to 
seeking  employment.  He  applied  to  the  one 
printer  of  the  town,  \\hich  was  then  a  smaller 
place  than  Boston,  with  only  seven  or  eight  thou 
sand  inhabitants.  The  printing-business  was 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  48 

not  flourishing,  where  there  was  not  even  a  sin 
gle  newspaper  or  bookstore.  Mr.  Bradford  had 
all  the  help  he  needed,  and  advised  the  young 
printer  to  go  to  Philadelphia.  This  was  a  hun 
dred  miles  further,  but  what  was  that  to  a  stout 
hearted  youth  with  his  head  full  of  ideas,  resolved 
to  make  his  way  in  the  world  ?  He  accordingly 
set  out  in  a  boat  for  Amboy.  leaving  his  chest  of 
things  —  great  things  they  were  —  to  follow  him 
round  by  sea. 

In  crossing  the  bay,  a  squall  tore  the  rotten 
sails  to  pieces,  and  drove  the  vessel  upon  Long 
Island.  On  their  way  a  drunken  Dutchman  fell 
overboard,  and  when  he  was  sinking,  Franklin 
caught  hold  of  him  by  his  "  shock-pate  "  and 
drew  him  up. 

"  His  ducking  sobered  him  a  little,"  adds  Franklin,  "  and 
he  went  to  sleep,  taking  first  out  of  his  pocket  a  book,  which 
he  desired  I  would  dry  for  him.  It  proved  to  be  my  old  favor 
ite  author,  Bunyan's  Pilgrim's  Progress,  in  Dutch,  finely 
printed,  on  good  paper,  copper  cuts,  a  dress  better  than  I  had 
ever  seen  it  wear  in  its  own  language. 

"On  approaching  the  island,  we  found  it  was  in  a  place 
where  there  could  be  no  landing,  there  being  a  great  surge  on 
the  stony  beach.  So  we  dropped  anchor,  and  swung  out  our 
cable  towards  the  shore.  Some  people  came  down  to  the 
shore  and  halloed  to  us,  as  we  did  to  them ;  but  the  wind 
was  so  high,  and  the  surge  so  loud,  that  we  could  not  under 
stand  each  other.  There  were  some  small  boats  near  the 
shore,  and  we  made  signs,  and  called  to  them  to  fetch  us ; 
but  they  either  did  not  comprehend  us,  or  it  was  impracti 
cable,  so  they  went  off.  Night  approaching,  we  had  no  rem 
edy  but  to  have  patience  till  the  wind  abated ;  and  in  the 


44  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FB  ANKLE*. 

meantime  the  boatman  and  myself  concluded  to  sleep,  if  we 
could;  and  so  we  crowded  into  the  hatches,  where  we  joined 
the  Dutchman,  who  was  still  wet,  and  the  spray  breaking 
over  the  head  of  our  boat,  leaked  through  to  us,  so  that  we 
were  soon  almost  as  wet  as  he.  In  this  manner  we  lay  all 
night,  with  very  little  rest;  but,  the  wind  abating  the  next 
day,  we  made  a  shift  to  reach  Amboy  before  night ;  having 
been  thirty  hours  on  the  water,  without  victuals,  or  any 
drink  but  a  bottle  of  filthy  rum ;  the  water  we  sailed  on  be 
ing  salt. 

"In  the  evening  I  found  myself  very  feverish,  and  went 
to  bed;  but,  having  read  somewhere  that  cold  water  drunk 
plentifully  was  good  for  a  fever,  I  followed  the  prescription, 
and  sweat  plentifully  most  of  the  night.  My  fever  left  me, 
and  in  the  morning,  crossing  the  ferry,  I  proceeded  on  my 
journey  on  foot,  having  fifty  miles  to  go  to  Burlington,  where 
I  was  told  I  should  find  boats,  that  would  carry  me  the  rest 
of  my  way  to  Philadelphia. 

"  It  rained  very  hard  all  the  day:  I  was  thoroughly  soaked, 
and  by  noon  a  good  deal  tired ;  so  I  stopped  at  a  poor  inn, 
where  I  stayed  all  night;  beginning  now  to  wish  I  had  never 
left  home.  I  made  so  miserable  a  figure,  too,  that  I  found 
by  the  questions  asked  me,  I  was  suspected  to  be  some  run 
away,  indentured  servant,  and  in  danger  of  being  taken  up 
on  suspicion.  However,  I  proceeded  next  day,  and  got  in 
the  evening  to  an  inn,  within  eight  or  ten  miles  of  Burling 
ton,  kept  by  one  Dr.  Brown.  He  entered  into  conversation 
with  me  while  I  took  some  refreshment,  and,  finding  I  had 
read  a  little,  became  very  obliging  and  friendly.  Our  ac 
quaintance  continued  all  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  had  been, 
I  imagine,  an  ambulatory  quack  doctor,  for  there  was  no 
town  in  England,  nor  any  country  in  Europe,  of  which  he 
could  not  give  a  very  particular  account.  He  had  some  let 
ters,  and  was  ingenious,  but  he  was  an  infidel,  and  wickedly 
undertook,  some  years  after,  to  turn  the  Bible  into  doggerel 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  45 

verse.  *  *  '  By  this  means  he  set  many  facts  in  a  ridicu 
lous  light,  and  might  have  done  mischief  with  weak  minds, 
if  his  work  had  been  published ;  but  it  never  was. 

"  At  his  house  I  lay  that  night,  and  arrived  the  next  day 
in  Burlington,  but  had  the  mortification  to  find  that  the  reg 
ular  boats  were  gone  a  little  before,  and  no  other  was  ex 
pected  to  go  before  Tuesday,  this  being  Saturday.  Where 
fore  I  returned  to  an  old  woman  in  the  town,  of  whom  I  had 
bought  some  gingerbread  to  eat  on  the  water,  and  asked  her 
advice.  She  proposed  to  lodge  me  till  a  passage  by  some 
other  boat  occurred.  I  accepted  her  offer,  being  much 
fatigued  by  travelling  on  foot.  Understanding  I  was  a 
printer,  she  would  have  had  me  remain  in  that  town  and 
follow  my  business ;  being  ignorant  what  stock  was  necessary 
to  begin  with.  She  was  very  hospitable,  gave  me  a  dinner 
of  ox-cheek  with  great  good-will,  accepting  only  a  pot  of  ale 
in  return;  and  I  thought  myself  fixed  till  Tuesday  should 
come.  However,  walking  in  the  evening  by  the  side  of  the 
river,  a  boat  came  by,  which  I  found  was  going  towards 
Philadelphia,  with  several  people  in  her.  They  took  me  in, 
and,  as  there  was  no  wind,  we  rowed  all  the  way;  and  about 
midnight,  not  having  yet  seen  the  city,  some  of  the  company 
were  confident  we  must  have  passed  it,  and  would  row  no 
further;  the  others  knew  not  where  we  were,  so  we  put 
towards  the  shore,  got  into  a  creek,  landed  near  an  old  fence, 
with  the  rails  of  which  we  made  a  fire,  the  night  being  cold, 
in  October,  and  there  we  remained  till  daylight.  Then  one 
of  the  company  knew  the  place  to  be  Cooper's  Creek,  a  little 
above  Philadelphia,  which  we  saw  as  soon  as  we  got  out  of 
the  creek,  and  arrived  there  about  eight  or  nine  o'clock  on 
the  Sunday  morning,  and  landed  at  Market-street  wharf." 

And  so  Boston  has  lost  one  of  her  brightest 
minds,  of  whom  afterwards  she  was  to  be  proud, 


46  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

and  Philadelphia  has  gained,  a  new  citizen,  in 
disguise  at  present,  only  a  full-grown  boy,  poor, 
and  looking  for  work  whereby  to  earn  an  honest 
living,  but  destined  to  add  new  lustre  to  his 
adopted  city.  See  him  in  his  working-dress,  his 
best  clothes  being  yet  on  the  way,  soiled  and  un 
prepossessing,  his  pockets  stuffed  out  with  shirts 
and  stockings,  weary  with  rowing  and  walking, 
and  want  of  sleep,  hungry,  a  single  dollar  all 
that  was  left  after  paying  for  his  passage  a  cop 
per  shilling,  a  sum  refused  by  the  kind-hearted 
boatmen,  but  which  his  independent  spirit  forced 
them  to  accept ;  for,  as  he  afterwards  shrewdly 
said,  in  relating  his  adventures,  "  man  is  some 
times  more  generous  when  he  has  little  money, 
than  when  he  has  plenty ;  perhaps  to  prevent 
his  being  thought  to  have  little." 

Philadelphia  was  then  a  town  of  seven  thou 
sand  inhabitants,  "  afaire,  greene  country  town," 
the  houses  built  of  brick  or  stone,  and  surrounded 
by  gardens  and  orchards.  It  was  a  goodly  place 
to  live  in,  among  the  peace-loving  Friends,  with 
plenty  for  everybody,  and  abounding  in  delicious 
fruits.  But  we  will  let  him  continue  his  own 
story ;  — 

"I  walked  towards  the  top  of  the  street,  gazing  about  till 
near  Market  street,  where  I  met  a  boy  with  bread.  I  had 
often  made  a  meal  of  dry  bread,  and,  inquiring  where  he  had 
boiight  it,  I  went  immediately  to  the  baker's  he  directed  me 
to.  I  asked  for  biscuits,  meaning  such  as  we  had  in  Boston ; 
that  sort,  it  seems,  was  not  made  in  Philadelphia.  I  then 
asked  for  a  three-penny  loaf,  and  was  told  they  had  none. 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FKANKLIS.  47 

N"ot  knowing  the  different  prices,  nor  the  names  of  the  dif 
ferent  sorts  of  bread,  I  told  him  to  give  me  three-penny 
worth  of  any  sort.  He  gave  me,  accordingly,  three  great, 
puffy  rolls.  I  was  surprised  at  the  quantity,  but  took  it, 
and,  having  no  room  in  my  pockets  "  — already  occupied  by 
his  shirts  and  stockings  —  "walked  off  with  a  roll  under 
each  arm,  and  eating  the  other.  Then  I  went  up  Market 
street  as  far  as  Fourth  street,  passing  by  the  door  of  Mr. 
Kead,  my  future  wife's  father;  when  she"  —  then  a  girl  of 
eighteen — "standing  at  the  door,  saw  me,  and  thought  I 
made,  and  certainly  I  did,  a  most  awkward,  ridiculous  ap 
pearance.  Then  I  turned  and  went  down  Chestnut  street, 
eating  my  roll  all  the  way,  and,  coming  round,  found  myself 
again  at  Market-street  wharf,  near  the  boat  I  came  in,  to 
which  I  went  for  a  draught  of  the  river  water;  and,  being 
filled  with  one  of  my  rolls,  gave  the  other  two  to  a  woman 
and  her  child  that  came  down  the  river  in  the  boat  with  us, 
and  were  waiting  to  go  farther. 

"  Thus  refreshed,  I  walked  again  up  the  street,  which  by 
this  time  had  many  clean-dressed  people  in  it,  who  were 
all  walking  the  same  way.  I  joined  them,  and  thereby  was 
led  into  the  great  meeting-house  of  the  Quakers,  near  the 
market.  I  sat  down  among  them,  and,  after  looking  round 
awhile,  and  hearing  nothing  said,  being  very  drowsy  through 
labor  and  want  of  rest  the  preceding  night,  I  fell  fast 
asleep,  and  continued  so  till  the  meeting  broke  up,  when 
some  one  was  kind  enough  to  rouse  me.  This,  therefore, 
was  the  first  house  I  was  in,  or  slept  in,  in  Philadelphia. 

"  I  then  walked  down  towards  the  river,  and  looking  in  the 
faces  of  everyone,  I  met  a  young  Quaker  man,  whose  coun 
tenance  pleased  me,  and,  accosting  him,  requested  he  would 
tell  me  where  a  stranger  could  get  a  lodging.  We  were  then 
near  the  sign  of  the  Three  Mariners.  '  Here,'  said  he,  '  is 
a  house  where  they  receive  strangers,  but  it  is  not  a  reputa- 


48  LITE  OF  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN. 

ble  one ; '  and  lie  conducted  me  to  the  Crooked  Billet  in 
Water  Street.  There  I  got  a  dinner;  and  while  I  was  eat 
ing,  several  questions  were  asked  me,  as,  from  my  youth  and 
appearance,  I  was  suspected  of  being  a  runaway. 

After  dinner  my  host  having  shown  me  to  a  bed,  I  laid 
myself  on  it  without  undressing,  and  slept  till  six  in  the 
evening,  when  I  was  called  to  supper.  I  went  to  bed  again 
very  early,  and  slept  very  soundly  till  next  morning.  Then 
I  dressed  myself  as  neat  as  I  could,  and  went  to  Andrew 
Bradford,  the  printer's.  I  found  in  the  shop  the  old  man 
his  father,  whom  I  had  seen  at  New  York,  and  who,  travel 
ing  on  horseback,  had  got  to  Philadelphia  before  me.  He 
introduced  me  to  his  son,  who  received  me  civilly,  gave  me 
a  breakfast,  but  told  me  he  did  not  at  present  want  a  hand, 
being  lately  supplied  with  one;  but  there  was  another  printer 
in  town,  lately  set  up,  one  Keimer,  who,  perhaps,  might  em 
ploy  me ;  if  not,  I  should  be  welcome  to  lodge  at  his  house, 
and  he  would  give  me  a  little  work  to  do  now  and  then,  till 
fuller  business  should  offer. 

"  The  old  gentleman  said  he  would  go  with  me  to  the  new 
printer;  and,  when  we  found  him,  'Neighbor,'  said  Brad 
ford,  '  I  have  brought  to  see  you  a  young  man  of  your  busi 
ness;  perhaps  you  may  want  such  a  one.'  He  asked  me  a 
few  questions,  put  a  composing-stick  in  my  hand,  to  see  how 
I  worked,  and  then  said  he  would  employ  me  soon,  though 
he  had  just  then  nothing  for  me  to  do.  And  taking  old 
Bradford,  whom  he  had  never  seen  before,  to  be  one  of  the 
towns-people  that  had  a  good  will  for  him,  entered  into  a 
conversation  on  his  present  undertaking  and  prospects; 
while  Bradford,  not  disclosing  that  he  was  the  other  printer's 
father,  on  Keimer' s  saying  he  expected  soon  to  get  the  great 
est  part  of  the  business  into  his  own  hands,  drew  him  on  by 
artful  questions,  and  starting  little  doubts,  to  explain  all  his 
views,  what  influence  he  relied  on,  and  in  what  manner  he 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  49 

intended  to  proceed.  I,  who  stood  by  and  heard  all,  saw 
immediately  that  one  was  a  crafty  old  sophister,  and  the 
other  a  true  novice.  Bradford  left  me  with  Keimer,  who 
was  greatly  surprised  when  I  told  him  who  the  old  man 


was.' 


The  young  Bostonian  must  have  recalled  to 
mind  his  own  sophistical  encounters  in  his  native 
town,  when  he  artfully  drew  on  his  antagonists 
to  make  concessions,  which  he  skilfully  turned 
against  them. 


50  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FBANKLIN. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

In  Philadelphia.  —  Keimer.  -»-  Hears  from  Home. 
— Sir  William  Keith. — Keith  becomes  Frank 
lin's  Patron.  —  Keith's  Proposal  to  Franklin. 
—  Brilliant  Prospects. 

Philadelphia  did  not  present  a  brilliant  open 
ing  to  our  young  adventurer.  Fortunately  he 
was  willing  to  work  his  way  up  by  gradual 
advances.  Give  him  a  chance,  and  he  was  con 
tent  to  trust  to  time  and  his  own  talents  for 
promotion. 

Introduced  as  above  to  Keimer,  he  cast  a  look 
about  the  printing-house,  which  contained  an 
old  damaged  press,  and  a  small,  worn-out  font 
of  English.  Keimer  was  then  composing  an 
elegy  on  his  late  principal  hand,  an  intelligent 
young  man,  of  excellent  character,  who  had  been 
secretary  to  the  Assembly.  He  was  pleased  to 
consider  himself  a  poet,  and  was  accustomed  to 
set  up  his  verses  as  he  manufactured  them, 
directly  out  of  his  head,  without  the  trouble  of 
writing  them.  Franklin  would  have  helped 
him,  but,  of  course,  there  was  no  copy,  and, 
besides,  but  one  pair  of  cases.  So  he  made  himself 
useful  by  putting  the  press,  which  had  not  been 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  51 

used,  in  such  order  as  he  could,  and  then,  taking 
his  leave,  he  promised  to  come  again  and  print 
off  the  elegy  as  soon  as  it  was  ready.  Return 
ing  to  B  radford's,  he  there  found  a  little  job  wait 
ing  for  him,  and  at  his  house  he  "  lodged  and 
dieted."  A  few  days  after,  he  was  sent  for 
Keimer  having  by  this  time  got  another  pair 
of  cases  and  a  pamphlet  to  reprint,  upon  which 
Franklin  was  set  to  work. 

"  This  man,  though  something  of  a  scholar, "  says  Frank 
lin,  "was  a  mere  compositor,  knowing  nothing  of  press- 
work.  He  had  been  one  of  the  French  prophets,  and  could  act 
their  enthusiastic  agitations.  At  this  time,  he  did  not  profess 
any  particular  religion,  but  something  of  all  on  occasion ;  was 
very  ignorant  of  the  world,  and  had,  as  I  afterward  found, 
a  good  deal  of  the  knave  in  his  composition.  He  did  not 
like  my  lodging  at  Bradford's  while  I  worked  with  him. 
He  had  a  house  indeed,  but  without  furniture ;  so  he  could 
not  lodge  me ;  but  he  got  me  a  lodging  at  Mr.  Bead's,  before 
mentioned,  who  was  the  owner  of  his  house ;  and  my  chest  of 
clothes  being  come  by  this  time,  I  made  rather  a  more  accept_ 
able  appearance  in  the  eyes  of  Miss  Read,  than  I  had  done 
when  she  first  happened  to  see  me  eating  my  roll  in  the 
street. " 

He  now  began  to  feel  at  home  in  Philadelphia. 
He  made  the  acquaintance  of  some  young  peo 
ple,  who  were  fond  of  reading,  with  whom  he 
spent  his  evenings  very  pleasantly.  His  indus 
try  and  frugality  also  enabled  him  to  lay  up 
some  money.  But  what,  meanwhile,  are  his 
thoughts  of  the  old  home  in  Boston  ?  He  tells 
us  that  he  tried  to  forget  it  as  much  as  possible. 


52  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN  .FRANKLIN. 

His  brother's  injustice  and  cruelty  had  thor 
oughly  weaned  him  from  his  native  town;  he 
had  no  wish  to  return.  And  for  fear  that  his 
present  residence  might  be  discovered,  he  had 
never  written  to  his  parents.  Collins  alone  had 
the  secret. 

But  a  new  turn  to  his  affairs  was  at  hand.  A 
brother-in-law,  Robert  Holmes,  master  of  a 
sloop  that  traded  between  Boston  and  Delaware, 
being  at  Newcastle,  forty  miles  below  Phila 
delphia,  and  hearing  where  Franklin  was,  wrote 
to  him  how  grieved  his  parents  were  at  his 
departure,  and  how  warm  a  welcome  they 
would  give  him  if  he  would  return.  The  letter 
did  not  persuade  Franklin,  but  it  had  an  impor 
tant  influence  on  his  future  course.  It  happened 
that  when  Franklin's  reply  reached  Holmes,  Sir 
William  Keith,  governor  of  the  province,  was  at 
Newcastle,  and  it  was  shown  to  him.  He  was 
surprised  that  a  youth  of  seventeen  should  com 
pose  such  a  letter,  which  doubtless  set  forth  in 
clear  and  strong  terms  the  reasons  that  had 
determined  his  leaving  Boston.  He  said  that  a 
young  man  of  such  promising  talents  ought  to 
be  encouraged.  Neither  of  the  printers  in  Phil 
adelphia  understood  his  business,  and  there  was 
room  for  a  new  one  to  set  up.  He  was  sure 
that  Franklin  would  succeed.  He  would  prom 
ise  him  the  public  printing,  and  assist  him  every 
way  in  his  power.  For  some  reason,  perhaps 
because  he  hoped  to  entice  his  brother-in-law 
back  to  Boston,  Holmes  did  not  tell  him  of  this 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FKANKLIN.  53 

conversation,  until  after  he  had  learned  the  Gov 
ernor's  good- will  from  his  own  lips.  What  then 
was  Franklin's  surprise  when,  one  day,  some 
time  after  this  correspondence,  two  finely  dressed 
gentlemen,  one  of  them  Governor  Keith,  were 
seen  by  Keimer  and  his  assistant,  as  they  stood 
working  by  the  window,  coming  directly  across 
the  street  to  the  shop.  Keimer,  of  course, 
thought  the  Governor  sought  an  interview  with 
himself,  and  ran  down  stairs  to  meet  him.  But 
it  was  young  Franklin  that  was  wanted.  The 
Governor,  having  come  in,  addressed  him  in 
very  complimentary  terms,  blamed  him  kindly 
for  not  having  made  himself  known  to  him  at 
his  first  coming  to  the  town,  and  ended  with 
wishing  the  astonished  young  printer  to  go  to 
the  tavern  with  him  and  his  friend,  Col.  French, 
and  have  a  taste  of  some  excellent  madeira. 
Poor  Keimer  being  left  with  his  type,  Franklin, 
not  knowing  what  to  make  of  it,  accepted  the 
invitation,  and  was  soon  discussing,  with  these 
gentlemen,  the  subject  of  his  setting  up  in  busi 
ness.  This  was  Franklin's  first  experience  with 
persons  of  title  and  rank,  and  we  have  little 
doubt  that,  young  though  he  was,  he  bore  him 
self,  if  not  with  the  grace,  yet  with  something  of 
the  self-possession,  which  in  later  years  marked 
his  intercourse  with  the  great  of  the  world.  He 
was  modest  and  unassuming,  but  he  knew  some 
thing  of  his  own  power,  and  was  not  easy  to  be 
daunted  by  the  show  of  greatness.  It  was  a 
strange  sight,  the  ill-used  apprentice,  a  run- 


54  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

away   from   Lome,   so   lately   munching  ginger 
bread   through  the   streets,  now   sitting   at°his 
ease  with  gentlemen   of  position,   an/ talking 
business  with  the   gravity  of  a   sage.     He    was 
assured  of  their  interest  and  influence  to  obtain 
for  him  the  public   printing   of  both   Pennsyl 
vania  and  Delaware.     When   Franklin  objected 
the    want     of    capital,     and     his     doubts     of 
any    assistance    from    his    father,  the    Govenor 
offered     to     give     him     a     letter     to    take    to 
him,     in     which     he      would      set     forth     the 
advantages  of  the  plan.     So    it  was   concluded 
that  he  should  return  to    Boston   by    the    first 
vessel.     But  the  matter  was  in   the    meantime 
to  be  kept  a  secret.     Franklin  went  on  work 
ing  with  Keimer,  being  now  and  then  invited 
to  dine  with  the    Governor,    which  he  consid 
ered  a  great  honor. 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  55 


CHAPTER  VII. 

A  New  Plan.  —  Returns  to  Boston.  —  Welcomed 
Home.  —  Ill-treated  ly  James. —  Visits  his 
Brother's  Office.  —  Calls  on  Cotton  Mather. 
—  Stooping.  —  His  Father  Disapproves  of 
Governor  Keith's  Plan.  —  Consents  to  his  He- 
turn  to  Philadelphia.  —  lie  Embarks  for  Neiu 
York.  —  Visits  his  Brother  at  Newport.  —  Mr. 
Vernon.  —  At  New  York.  —  Collins.  —  Crov- 
ernor  Burnet. — Incident  on  the  Delaivare. — 
A  Green  Meadow.  —  Sad  Experience  with  Col 
lins.  — Rupture. 

Homeward  bound.  Franklin  had  been  away 
from  Boston  about  seven  months.  He  was 
now  to  return ;  not,  however,  in  disgrace,  but 
bearing  a  letter  from  the  Governor  of  Penn 
sylvania  to  his  father,  recommending  him  to 
encourage  and  aid  his  son  to  set  up  in  busi 
ness  in  Philadelphia,  as  a  thing  sure  to  make 
his  fortune.  He  must  have  felt  not  a  little 
proud  as  he  embarked  on  board  a  little  ves 
sel  bound  to  Boston,  at  the  end  of  April, 
1724.  To  be  sure,  he  did  not  know  just  how 
he  would  be  received  at  home,  for  his  con 
science  told  him  that  he  had  wronged  his 
parents,  and  he  did  not  care,  perhaps,  to  meet 


56  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

his  brother  James.  However,  he  was  disposed 
to  look  upon  the  bright  side  of  things,  and, 
on  the  whole,  he  must  have  enjoyed  the 
thought  of  going  back  under  present  circum 
stances.  He  would  not  object  to  show  his 
6rother  that  he  could  live  without  him  and 
in  spite  of  him,  and  that  single-handed  and 
alone  he  had  done  better  for  himself  than 
when  dependent  on  others. 

After  a  blustering  voyage,  during  which, 
from  having  struck  a  leak  as  they  were 
going  down  the  bay,  they  had  to  pump  almost 
continually,  the  vessel  anchored  safely  at 
Boston  in  about  a  fortnight.  During  his 
absence  his  friends  had  heard  not  a  word 
of  him,  and  his  sudden  appearance  surprised 
them.  The  family  gave  him  a  warm  welcome, 
all  except  the  brother.  James  did  not  come 
to  see  him,  and  Benjamin  went  to  his  office. 
This  was  magnanimous  in  the  younger  brother. 
He  was  not  received  very  graciously.  His 
brother  surveyed  him  from  head  to  foot,  and 
turned  to  his  work  again,  but  Benjamin  had 
the  pleasure  of  feeling  that  he  was  better 
dressed  than  when  in  his  brother's  service,  hav 
ing  on  a  new  genteel  suit,  and  also  a  watch,  and 
his  pockets  lined  with  nearly  five  pounds  ster 
ling  in  silver.  He  did  not  cringe,  and  neither 
did  he  boast ;  he  was  simply  a  man,  boy  though 
he  was  in  years. 

The  journeymen  were  struck  with  his  appear 
ance,  and  asked  him  many  questions  about 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  57 

Philadelphia.  He  was  not  backward  in  praising 
it,  and  the  happy  life  he  led  in  it,  adding  that 
nothing  could  dissuade  him  from  returning. 
They  were  astonished  when  he  produced  a  hand 
ful  of  silver,  paper  being  the  money  of  Boston. 
He  did  not  forget  to  show  them  his  watch,  and 
on  leaving  he  gave  them  a  dollar  for  drink, 
according  to  the  prevailing  foolish  custom.  The 
brother  saw  and  heard  all  this,  glum  and  sullen. 
He  took  the  visit  very  ill,  saying  afterward  that 
he  had  received  a  personal  insult  in  the  presence 
of  his  apprentices,  and  that  he  could  never  for 
get  or  forgive  it.  And  he  gave  this  as  a  reason 
to  his  mother  against  reconciliation,  when  she 
plead  that  the  brothers  might  be  on  good  terms 
again.  He  was  a  man  of  sullen  temper,  and 
of  mean  spirit,  and  one  cannot  blame  his  brother 
for  not  wishing  to  live  with  him. 

While  in    Boston,    Franklin    called    on    the 
famous  Cotton  Mather,   then  sixty-one  years  of 


"  He  received  me,  "  says  Franklin,  in  a  letter,  written 
sixty  years  after,  when  residing  in  France,  to  a  son  of 
Mather,  "  in  his  library,  and  on  my  taking  leave,  showed 
me  a  shorter  way  out  of  the  house  through  a  narrow  pas 
sage,  which  was  crossed  by  a  beam  over-head.  We  were 
still  talking  as  I  withdrew,  he  accompanying  me  behind, 
and  I,  turning  partly  toward  him,  when  he  said  hastily, 
'  Stoop  !  Stoop  I '  I  did  not  understand  him  till  I  felt  my 
head  hit  against  the  beam.  He  was  a  man  that  never  missed 
any  occasion  of  giving  instruction,  and  upon  this  he  said  to 
me:  "  You  are  young,  and  have  the  world  before  you; 


58  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

STOOP  as  you  go  through  it,  and  you  will  miss  many  hard 
thumps. '  This  advice,  thus  beat  into  my  head,  has  fre 
quently  been  of  use  to  me ;  and  I  often  think  of  it  when  I 
see  pride  mortified,  and  misfortunes  brought  upon  people, 
by  their  carrying  their  heads  too  high.  " 

But  what  of  the  business  which  had  brought 
him  to  Boston?  The  Governor's  letter  was 
read  by  his  father  with  some  surprise,  but  he 
said  little  about  it  for  some  time.  On  Captain 
Holmes'  return,  he  showed  it  to,  him,  and  asked 
him  what  he  knew  about  Sir  William  Keith, 
adding  that,  in  his  opinion,  he  was  a  man  of 
small  discretion  to  think  of  setting  up  in  business 
a  youth  who  was  three  years .  short  of  man's 
estate.  Holmes'  favorable  opinion  of  the  project 
made  no  impression  upon  Josiah  Franklin's 
mind.  He  gave  a  flat  denial.  It  was,  he  thought, 
a  foolish  enterprise,  upon  which  he  was  unwill 
ing  to  risk  any  money.  The  matter  ended  with 
his  writing  a  civil  reply  to  Sir  William,  thanking 
hiro  for  the  patronage  he  had  so  kindly  offered, 
and  declining  to  assist  his  son,  as  yet,  in  setting 
up. 

Benjamin  was  now  again  his  father's  ward.  He 
did  not  care  to  run  away  a  second  time,  though 
inwardly  bent  on  returning,  He  would  wait  his 
father's  pleasure,  believing  that  his  consent 
would  not  be  long  withheld.  Nor  was  he  dis 
appointed.  His  father,  seeing  how  well  he 
had  carried  himself  in  Philadelphia,  Low  indus 
trious  and  frugal  lie  had  been,  and  what  dis 
tinguished  friends  he  had  made,  and  besides, 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  59 

seeing  how  far  his  older  son  was  from  a  kindly 
disposition  toward  him,  gave  free  consent  to 
his  return.  All  he  gave  him  in  the  way  of 
capital  was  some  good  advice,  especially  to 
abstain  from  "lampooning  and  libelling,  '  and 
to  treat  everybody  respectfully.  He  told  him 
that  by  industry  and  prudence  he  might  save 
enough  by  the  time  he  was  twenty-one,  .to 
set  himself  up  in  business,  and  that  if  then 
he  needed  a  little  help,  he  would  do  what  he 
could  for  him.  So,  with  some  small  gifts  as 
tokens  of  his  father's  arid  mother's  love,  he 
embarked  again  for  New  York;  this  time  with 
their  full  approval. 

On  the  Vay  the  sloop  put  in  at  Newport, 
where  he  visited  his  brother  John,  who  had 
been  married  and  settled  there  some  years. 

"  He  received  me  very  affectionately,"  says 
Franklin,  "  for  he  always  loved  me.  "  Benjamin 
was  charged  with  a  little  business  by  a  friend  of  his 
brother,  a  Mr.  Vernon,  who  wished  him  to  collect 
some  money  due  him  in  Philadelphia,  about 
thirty-  five  pounds  currency,  which  he  was  to 
•retain  until  further  instructions. 

At  New  York  he  found  his  friend  Collins, 
who  had  determined  to  make  Philadelphia  his 
home,  and  who  had  set  out  previously  by  land, 
leaving  his  books  to  come  with  Franklin  to 
New  York.  Collins  and  Franklin  had  been  inti 
mate  from  children,  and  had  read  the  same  books 
together,  Collins  being  the  superior  in  mathe 
matics.  But  unfortunately  the  good  reputation 


60  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN. 

which  he  had  had  for  learning  and  sobriety  were 
lost  by  intemperate  habits.  He  was  drunk  eveiy 
day  after  his  arrival  in  New  York,  and  behaved 
in  a  disgraceful  manner.  He  gambled  away  all 
his  money,  so  that  his  bills  in  New  York,  and  his 
expenses  on  the  journey  and  at  Philadelphia,  had 
to  come  out  of  Franklin's  pocket,  a  burden  he 
was  ill  able  to  bear. 

Burnet,  son  of  the  well-known  Bishop  Burnet, 
was  at  this  time  Governor  of  New  York.  Being 
himself  a  lover  of  books,  and  hearing  that  a  pas 
senger  in  the  vessel  just  arrived  had  many  books 
on  board,  he  desired  the  captain  to  bring  him  to 
his  house.  Franklin  waited  on  the  Governor, 
leaving  Collins  behind,  who  was  not»in  a  condi 
tion  to  go.  The  youth  of  eighteen  was  received 
with  great  civility.  He  was  shown  the  library, 
which  was  quite  large  for  that  time,  and  the 
Governor  and  the  young  printer  had  much  pleas 
ant  conversation  about  books  and  authors. 
"  This,"  says  Franklin,  "  was  the  second  governor 
who  had  done  me  the  honor  to  take  notice  of  me; 
and  for  a  poor  boy,  like  me,  it  was  very  pleas- 
ing." 

On  the  passage  to  Philadelphia,  in  a  small 
sloop,  while  descending  the  river  Delaware,  a 
little  incident  occurred. 

"  There  being  no  wind,  "  says  Franklin,  "  we  were  obliged, 
when  the  ebb  was  spent,  to  cast  anchor,  and  wait  for  the 
next.  The  heat  of  the  sun  on  the  vessel  was  excessive,  the 
company  strangers  to  me,  and  not  very  agreeable.  Near  the 
river  side  I  saw  what  I  took  to  be  a  pleasant  green  meadow, 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN.  61 

in  the  middle  of  which  was  a  large  shady  tree,  where,  it 
struck  my  fancy,  I  could  sit  and  read  (having  a  book  in  my 
pocket),  and  pass  the  time  agreeably  till  the  tide  turned.  1 
therefore  prevailed  with  the  captain  to  put  me  ashore. 
Being  landed,  I  found  the  greatest  part  of  my  meadow  was 
really  a  marsh,  in  crossing  which,  to  come  at  my  tree,  I 
was  up  to  my  knees  in  mud ;  and  I  had  not  placed  myself 
under  its  shade  five  minutes  before  the  mosquitoes  in 
swarms  found  me  out,  attacked  my  legs,  hands,  and  face, 
and  made  my  reading  and  my  rest  impossible ;  so  that  I 
returned  to  the  beach,  and  called  for  the  boat  to  come  and 
take  me  on  board  again,  where  I  was  obliged  to  bear  the 
heat  I  had  strove  to  quit,  and  also  the  laugh  of  the  company.  " 

This  account  was  written  when  Franklin  was 
seventy-four  years  of  age,  in  a  letter  to  a  friend, 
and  he  added,  as  the  result  of  fifty-six  years' 
experience,  "  Similar  cases  have  since  frequently 
fallen  under  my  observation."  The  incident 
was  related  to  show  that  "  all  human  situations 
have  their  inconveniences  ;  we  feel  those  that  we 
find  in  the  present,  and  we  neither  feel  nor  see 
those  that  exist  in  another.  Hence  we  make 
frequent  and  troublesome  changes  without 
amendment,  and  often  for  the  worse." 

On  the  way,  Franklin  received  Mr.  Vernon's 
money,  from  which  he  was  unfortunately  com 
pelled  to  draw,  in  order  to  meet  the  expenses  of 
the  journey,  Collins  being  wholly  on  his  hands. 
When  they  reached  the  city,  this  untimely  com 
panion,  being  unable  to  find  employment,  in 
consequence  of  his  bad  habits,  was  a  continual 
burden,  lodging  and  boarding  at  the  same  house 


62  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

with  Franklin,  and  at  his  expense.  He  had  lost 
all  sense  of  shame,  being  willing  to  live  by  bor 
rowing  from  his  too  generous  friend.  The  worst 
of  it  was,  that  the  money  given,  or,  as  Collins 
was  pleased  to  consider  it,  loaned,  to  a  worthless 
fellow,  who  could  never  refund  it,  did  not  belong 
to  Franklin.  He  knew  not  when  it  might  be 
called  for,  and  it  distressed  him  to  know  what  he 
should  do,  in  case  he  should  be  required  to  remit 
it.  It  was  noble  in  Franklin  to  feel  an  interest 
in  his  old  friend,  in  his  degradation,  but  he  ought 
to  have  refused  to  risk  money  which  was  not  his 
own,  even  for  a  friend.  He  afterwards  regarded 
his  course  in  this  respect  as  one  of  the  great  mis 
takes  of  his  life.  It  occasioned  him  much  anxi 
ety  for  years. 

Collins  went  on  from  bad  to  worse,  and  now 
and  then  he  and  Franklin  quarrelled,  for  his 
conduct  was  sometimes  more  than  could  be 
endured. 

"  Once,  "  says  Franklin,  "  in  a  boat  on  the  Delaware  with 
some  other  young  men,  he  refused  to  row  in  his  turn.  '  I 
will  be  rowed  home,'  said  he.  *  We  will  not  row  you,'  said  I. 
'  You  must, '  said  he,  '  or  stay  all  night  on  the  water,  just 
as  you  please. '  The  others  said,  '  Let  us  row,  what  signi 
fies  it  ? '  But  my  mind  being  soured  with  his  other  conduct, 
I  continued  to  refuse.  So  'he  swore  he  would  make  me  row, 
or  throw  me  overboard ;  and  coming  along,  stepping  on  the 
thwarts  toward  me,  when  he  came  up  and  struck  at  me, 
I  clapped  my  head  under  his  thighs,  and,  rising,  pitched  him 
head  foremost  into  the  water.  I  knew  he  was  a  good  swim 
mer,  and  so  was  under  little  concern  about  him ;  but  before 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  63 

he  could  get  round  to  lay  hold  of  the  boat,  we  had  with  a 
few  strokes  pulled  her  out  of  his  reach ;  and  whenever  he 
drew  near  the  boat,  we  asked  him  if  he  would  row,  striking 
her  a  few  strokes  to  slide  her  away  from  him.  He 
was  ready  to  stifle  with  vexation,  and  obstinately  would  not 
promise  to  row.  Finding  him  at  last  beginning  to  tire,  we 
drew  him  into  the  boat,  and  brought  him  home  dripping 
wet.  We  hardly  exchanged  a  civil  word  after  this  advent 
ure.  At  length  a  West  India  captain,  who  had  a  commis 
sion  to  procure  a  preceptor  for  the  sons  of  a  gentleman  at 
Barbadoes,  met  with  him,  and  proposed  to  carry  him  thither 
to  fill  that  situation.  He  accepted,  and  promised  to  remit 
me  what  he  owed  me  out  of  the  first  money  he  should  re 
ceive,  but  I  never  heard  of  him  after. " 


64  LITE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

In  Philadelphia.  —  Calls  on  Governor  Keith.  — 
New  Promises.  —  Plan  for  Setting  up  in  Busi 
ness.  —  Vernorfs  Money.  —  Keimer.  —  Thoughts 
of  Marriage. — Miss  Read. — A  Prudent  Mother. 

FRANKLIN  was  probably  somewhat  curious  to 
know  what  plan  his  distinguished  patron,  the 
Governor,  would  now  propose.  He  called  upon 
him  with  his  father's  letter.  Sir  William,  on 
reading  it,  was  pleased  to  say  that  the  good  man 
was  too  prudent.  Discretion  did  not  always  go 
with  years.  And  he  generously  offered  to  do 
what  the  excessively  careful  father  had  declined 
doing.  "  Give  me,"  said  he,  in  the  ardor  of  his 
generosity,  "an  inventory  of  the  things  neces 
sary  to  be  had  from  England,  and  I  will  send  for 
them.  Repay  me  when  you  are  able ;  I  am  re 
solved  to  have  a  good  printer  here,  and  I  am  sure 
you  must  succeed."  This  was  said  with  every 
appearance  of  cordiality.  Franklin  had  yet  to 
learn  that  he  was  depending  upon  a  man  liberal 
in  promises  which  he  never  meant  to  keep.  He 
thought  him  one  of  the  best  men  in  the  world. 

He  was  not  slow  in  presenting  his  patron  with 
an  inventory  of  articles  necessary  in  a  printing- 


LIFE  OF  BENJA1HIN  FRANKLIN.  65 

office,  amounting  to  about  a  hundred  pounds 
sterling.  The  money  was  not,  however,  forth 
coming,  but,  instead,  another  grand  plan.  The 
patron  was  pleased  with  the  inventory,  but  asked 
whether  the  type  and  other  things  could  not 
best  be  selected  by  Franklin  on  the  spot.  And 
when  there,  he  ingeniously  added,  "You  may 
make  acquaintance,  and  establish  correspond 
ences  in  the  bookselling  and  stationery  line." 
What  could  be  better  or  more  agreeable  ?  Frank 
lin  was  directed  to  be  ready  to  go  with  the  An- 
nis,  the  only  ship  then  running,  once  a  year, 
between  London  and  Philadelphia.  But  it  would 
be  some  months  before  her  sailing ;  so,  thinking 
all  the  while  what  a  generous  friend  Sir  Will 
iam,  the  Governor,  was  to  him,  and  dreaming, 
doubtless,  about  the  pleasure  he  should  have  in 
visiting  the  great  metropolis,  —  the  deluded 
youth  continued  working  with  Keimer,  keeping 
his  secret  to  himself,  and  the  splendid  fortune 
that  was  before  him.  "  My  father,"  perhaps  he 
thought,  "is  a  wise  counsellor,  but  it  will  be  seen, 
ere  long,  what  an  enterprising  young  man, 
backed  up  by  a  generous  friend,  can  do." 

Franklin,  however,  had  his  worries.  That 
money  of  Mr.  Vernon's  fretted  him  extremely ; 
it  might  be  called  for  any  moment.  He  was 
learning  how  one  grievous  mistake  may  embitter 
life.  With  Keimer  he  lived  on  agreeable  terms. 
They  both  loved  to  argue,  and  had  many  dispu 
tations.  Franklin  brought  into  play  his  Socratic 
method,  which  had  wrought  such  wonders  in 
Boston.  It  was  very  effectual  with  Keimer. 


66  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FKANKLIN. 

"I  had  trepanned  him  so  often,"  says  Franklin,  "by 
questions  apparently  so  distant  from  any  point  we  had  in 
hand,  yet  by  degrees  leading  to  the  point,  and  bringing  him 
into  difficulties  and  contradictions,  that  at  last  he  grew 
ridiculously  cautious,  and  would  hardly  answer  me  the  most 
common  question,  without  asking  first,  '  What  do  you  in 
tend  to  infer  from  that  ? '  " 

But  Franklin's  skill  in  arguing  gave  Keimer 
so  high  an  opinion  of  his  abilities,  that  he  seri 
ously  proposed  that  they  should  set  up  a  new 
sect.  Keimer  was  to  preach  the  doctrine,  and 
Franklin  was  to  confound  all  opponents.  When 
the  doctrines  came  to  be  stated,  as  a  basis  of 
union,  the  young  Socrates  had  his  objections.  He 
also  had  some  notions  of  his  own,  which  he 
would  like  to  introduce. 

The  printer  was  a  strange  man. 

"  He  wore  his  beard,"  says  Franklin,  **  at  full  length,  be 
cause  somewhere  in  the  Mosaic  law  it  is  said,  '  Thou  shalt 
not  mar  the  corner  of  thy  beard.'  He  likewise  kept  the 
seventh  day,  Sabbath;  and  these  two  points  were  essential 
with  him.  I  disliked  both ;  but  agreed  to  them  on  condition 
of  his  adopting  the  doctrine  of  not  using  animal  food.  '  I 
doubt,'  said  he,  'my  constitution  will  not  bear  that.'  I  as 
sured  him  it  would,  and  that  he  would  be  the  better  for  it. 
He  was  usually  a  great  eater,  and  I  wished  to  give  myself 
some  diversion,  in  half -starving  him.  He  consented  to  try 
the  practice,  if  I  would  keep  him  company.  I  did  so,  and 
we  held  it  for  three  months.  Our  provisions  were  purchased, 
cooked  and  brought  to  us  regularly  by  a  woman  in  the  neigh 
borhood,  who  had  a  list  of  forty  dishes,  which  she  prepared 
for  us  at  different  times,  in  which  there  entered  neither  fish, 
flesh,  nor  fowl.  This  whim  suited  me  the  better  at  tfoU 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FKANKLIN.  67 

time,  from  the  cheapness  of  it,  not  costing  us  above  eighteen 
pence  sterling  each  per  week.  ...  I  went  on  pleas 
antly,  but  poor  Keimer  suffered  grievously,  grew  tired  of  the 
project,  longed  for  the  flesh-pots  of  Egypt,  and  ordered  a 
roast  pig.  He  invited  me  and  two  friends  to  dine  with  him; 
but,  it  being  brought  too  soon  upon  the  table,  he  could  not 
resist  the  temptation,  and  ate  the  whole  before  we  came." 

Besides  attending  to  business,  Franklin,  now 
in  his  eighteenth  year,  yielded  a  little  to  the 
promptings  of  the  tender  passion.  He  had  made 
the  acquaintance  of  Miss  Read  while  lodging  in 
her  father's  house,  and  the  respect  he  conceived 
for  her  had  ripened  into  affection,  which  he  had 
some  reason  to  believe  was  reciprocated  by  the 
young  lady.  There  is  always  a  prudent  person 
in  the  way.  In  the  matter  of  setting  up  in  busi 
ness  it  was  his  father ;  in  the  present  case,  it 
was  Miss  Read's  mother.  The  careful  lady 
thought  the  parties  were  too  young  to  think  of 
matrimony,  at  present,  especially  as  one  of  them 
was  about  to  take  a  long  voyage.  If  there 
should  be  a  marriage,  it  would  better  take  place 
after  Franklin's  return,  and  he  was  established 
in  his  profession.  The  young  lover  conjectured 
that  her  expectations  as  to  his  success  in  business 
were  not  so  sanguine  as  his  own.  The  mother 
proved  to  be  in  the  right. 

Among  his  acquaintances  at  this  time,  Frank 
lin  particularly  mentions  three,  Charles  Osborne, 
Joseph  Watson,  and  James  Ralph,  "  all  lovers  of 
reading." 


68  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Governor  Keith.  —  Great  Promises.  —  Never 
Heady.  —  Franklin  sails  for  JSngland.  —  No 
Letters.  —  Discovers  the  Deception.  —  A  /Stran 
ger  in  London.  —  Mr.  Denham.  —  Franklin  s 
Opinion  of  Sir  William  Keith.  — Ralph  Again. 
—  Franklin  Finds  Employment. 

ALL  this  while,  Franklin  was  a  frequent  guest 
at  the  Governor's  house,  who  liked  the  company 
of  the  young  printer,  and  was  as  profuse  in 
promises  as  ever.  The  setting  him  up  in  busi 
ness  was  a  fixed  thing,  and  he  was  to  be  pro 
vided  with  letters  of  recommendation  to  friends 
in  England ;  and,  most  important  of  all,  with  a 
letter  of  credit  on.  London,  which  should  supply 
the  necessary  money  for  the  purchase  of  press, 
type,  paper,  etc. 

Franklin's  faith  in  his  patron  never  wavered. 
He  was  so  genial  and  generous  I  And  yet  the 
letters  were  never  ready  when  called  for  at  the 
appointed  time.  It  was  the  next  time,  and  again 
the  next  time,  until  Franklin  found  himself  on 
board  the  vessel  without  a  single  letter.  The 
good  Governor  was  extremely  busy,  but  would 
be  at  Newcastle  before  the  ship,  and  then  the 


LITE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  69 

letters  would  be  put  into  his  hands.  The  vessel 
reached  Newcastle,  the  Governor  was  at  New 
castle,  but  he  was  still  so  busy  that  he  could  not 
see  Franklin ;  the  letters  would  be  sent  to  him 
on  board.  He  did,  however,  send  his  wishes  for 
a  prosperous  voyage  and  a  speedy  return.  The 
ship  sailed  without  Franklin's  receiving  any  com 
munication  from  his  busy  friend,  and  he  was  "  a 
little  puzzled,  but  still  not  doubting." 

Before  leaving  Philadelphia,  he  had  formed  an 
engagement  with  Miss  Read,  and  taken  leave  of 
his  friends,  except  Ralph,  who  had  become  his 
fellow-voyager.  This  unprincipled  man,  having 
had  some  disagreement  with  his  wife's  relations, 
had  resolved  to  leave  her,  with  his  child,  upon 
their  hands,  proposing  never  to  return.  Frank 
lin  was  peculiarly  unfortunate  in  some  of  his 
friends ;  which  was  partly  his  own  fault. 

Franklin  found  the  cabin  engaged  by  stran 
gers,  among  whom  was  Mr.  Hamilton,  a  noted 
lawyer  of  Philadelphia,  so  that  he  and  Ralph 
were  forced  to  put  up  with  a  berth  in  the 
steerage.  Luckily,  however,  his  old  friend  Col. 
French  having  been  on  board  just  before  they 
started,  and  shown  him  great  respect,  he  and 
Ralph  were  invited  to  come  into  the  cabin,  where 
room  had  been  made  by  the  sudden  departure, 
at  Newcastle,  of  Mr.  Hamilton  and  his  son,  re 
called  to  Philadelphia  on  business. 

Franklin  was  anxious  about  the  promised  let 
ters,  and  soon  requested  the  captain  to  give  him, 
out  of  the  Governor's  dispatches,  brought  on 


70  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

board,  as  he  presumed,  by  Col.  French,  such  let 
ters  as  were  to  be  under  his  care.  But  every 
thing  had  gone  into  the  bag  together;  before 
landing  in  England,  Franklin  should  have  what 
belonged  to  him.  It  only  remained  to  wait  with 
patience.  The  voyage  was  made  pleasant  by 
agreeable  company  and  plentiful  stores,  notwith 
standing  bad  weather. 

And  now  again  for  the  letters.  When  the 
ship  came  into  the  channel,  the  Governor's  bag 
was  opened  to  Franklin's  eager  inspection.  There 
was  no  one  directed  to  him,  but  several  bore  his 
name  as  put  under  his  care.  Out  of  these  he 
selected  six  or  seven,  which,  by  the  handwriting, 
he  thought  ought  to  be  the  promised  letters,  es 
pecially  one  addressed  to  the  King's  printer,  and 
another  to  a  stationer. 

The  ship  reached  London,  December  24th, 
1724.  Franklin,  now  eighteen  years  of  age,  was 
a  stranger  in  the  great  city,  and  was  not  slow  in 
waiting  upon  the  stationer,  who  came  first  in 
his  way,  delivering  his  letter  as  from  Governor 
Keith.  "  I  don't  know  such  a  person,"  he  said. 
Opening  the  letter,  he  added,  "  Oh  !  this  is  from 
Riddlesden.  I  have  lately  found  him  to  be  a 
complete  rascal,  and  I  will  have  nothing  to  do 
with  him,  nor  receive  any  letter  from  him."  "  So, 
putting  the  letter  into  my  hand,"  says  Franklin, 
"  he  turned  on  his  heel,  and  left  me  to  serve 
some  customers." 

Franklin's  eyes  now  began  to  be  opened. 

"I  was  surprised,"  he  says,  "to  find  that  these  were  not 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  71 

the  Governor's  letters;  and,  after  recollecting  and  comparing 
circumstances,  I  began  to  doubt  his  sincerity.  I  found  my 
friend  Denham  [a  Quaker  merchant  with  whom  he  had 
formed  an  acquaintance  during  the  voyage],  and  opened  the 
whole  affair  to  him.  He  let  me  into  Keith's  character,  told 
me  there  was  not  the  least  probability  that  he  had  written 
any  letters  for  me;  that  no  one,  who  knew  him,  had  the 
smallest  dependence  on  him;  and  he  laughed  at  the  idea  of 
the  Governor's  giving  me  a  letter  of  credit,  having,  as  he 
said,  no  credit  to  give.  On  my  expressing  some  concern 
about  what  I  should  do,  he  advised  me  to  endeavor  getting 
some  employment  in  the  way  of  my  business.  '  Among  the 
printers  here,'  said  he,  'you  will  improve  yourself,  and, 
when  you  return  to  America,  you  will  set  up  to  great  advan 
tage.'  " 

With  regard  to  his  deceiver,  Franklin  said, 
with  a  proper  indignation  : 

"  What  shall  we  think  of  a  Govenor  playing  such  pitiful 
tricks,  and  imposing  so  grossly  on  a  poor,  ignorant  boy  ?" 

But,  with  no  common  magnanimity,  he  checks 
his  wrath,  and  adds  :  — 

"  It  was  a  habit  he  had  acquired.  He  wished  to  please 
everybody;  and  having  little  to  give,  he  gave  expectations. 
He  was  otherwise  an  ingenious,  sensible  man,  a  pretty  good 
writer,  and  a  good  Governor  for  the  people ;  though  not  for 
his  constituents,  the  proprietaries,  whose  instructions  he 
sometimes  disregarded.  Several  of  our  best  laws  were  of  his 
planning,  and  passed  during  his  administration." 

Riddlesden,  referred  to  above,  was  a  knavish 
attorney.  He  had  half  ruined  Miss  Read's 
father,  by  getting  him  to  be  bondsman  for  him. 
His  letter  showed  that  he  had  a  secret  plan,  in 


T2  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

which  Keith  was  concerned,  to  injure  Mr.  Ham 
ilton  ;  and  when  this  gentleman  arrived  in  Eng 
land,  soon  after,  Franklin,  at  Denham's  sugges 
tion,  thought  it  proper  to  put  the  letter  into 
his  hands.  It  contained  information  important 
to  him,  and  from  that  time,  he  became  a  valu 
able  friend  to  Franklin. 

And  what  does  our  young  hero  now  think  of 
Sir  William  ? 

Here  were  two  poor  fellows,  Franklin  and 
Ralph,  brought  face  to  face  with  stern  necessity. 
No  "  letter  of  credit "  gave  them  access  to  the 
Bank  of  England.  No  influential  friends  took 
them  to  an  open  door.  They  took  humble  lodg 
ings  together  in  that  part  of  London  called  Lit 
tle  Britain,  at  three  shillings  and  sixpence  a 
week,  the  most  they  could  then  afford.  It  had 
been  better  for  Franklin  to  be  alone.  Collins 
had  been  his  burden  in  Philadelphia,  and  Ralph 
took  that  place  in  London.  Ralph  had  no 
money,  and  failed  to  get  employment,  as  an  ac 
tor,  then  as  a  writer  for  a  paper,  or  as  a  copy 
ist ;  but  he  could  borrow  money  of  Franklin, 
who  had  a  few  pistoles,  and  who  at  once  got 
work  aud  wages  in  a  famous  printing-house. 
Franklin  was  now,  as  he  had  always  been,  indus 
trious,  but  in  other  respects  his  habits  were  not 
altogether  correct.  The  influence  of  his  com 
panion  was  far  from  good,  and  he  spent  with 
Ralph  a  good  deal  of  his  earnings  at  the  theatre 
and  other  places  of  amusement. 

Ralph  seems  to  have  forgotten  his  wife  and 


LITE  OF  BENJAMIN    FKANKLIN.  73 

child,  whom  he  had  meanly  deserted,  and  Frank 
lin,  in  his  turn,  forgot  his  engagement  with  Miss 
Read,  writing  but  one  letter,  and  that  to  let 
her  know  that  he  was  not  likely  to  soon  return. 
But  he  lived  to  confess  his  great  wrong,  and  to 
do  what  he  could  to  repair  it. 

Ralph,  meanwhile,  indulged  in  gross  immor 
ality,  which  soon  involved  Franklin  in  heavier 
expenses,  and  brought  a  stain  upon  his  charac 
ter.  With  reference  to  his  course  at  this  period 
he  afterwards  wrote,  "  Another  erratum."  But 
Ralph  broke  friendship  with  Franklin,  who  was 
fortunate  to  get  rid  of  a  companion  that  had 
been  only  a  burden  and  a  snare. 


74  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FHANKLIN. 


CHAPTER  X. 

Relieved  of  a  Burden.  —  A  New  Printing-office. 
—  The  Water- American.  —  Beer-Drinkers.  — 
Initiation-Fee.  —  Frugal  Living.  —  New  Lodg 
ings. —  A  Catholic  Lady. —  Wygate.  —  Den- 
ham.  —  His  Proposal  to  Franklin. 

Relieved  of  his  burden,  Franklin  now  began  to 
think  of  doing  something  more  than  living  from 
hand  to  mouth,  and,  in  the  hope  of  obtaining  bet 
ter  pay,  he  sought  employment  in  a  larger  office, 
with  Mr.  Watts,  near  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields. 
Here  he  continued  as  long  as  he  was  in  London. 

In  America  he  had  combined  composing  and 
press-work,  but  now,  for  the  sake  of  exercise,  he 
worked  entirely  at  the  press.  He  drank  water 
only,  while  the  rest  of  the  workmen,  fifty  in 
number,  were  all  great  beer-drinkers.  They  were 
astonished  to  see  how  easily  the  water-American, 
as  they  called  him,  could  carry  up  and  down 
stairs  a  large  form  of  types  in  each  hand,  while 
none  of  them  could  carry  more  than  one  in  both 
hands.  He  was  stronger  than  the  drinkers  of 
strong  beer !  There  was  an  ale-house  boy  always 
on  hand  to  answer  calls  for  drink. 

"My  companion  at  the  press,"  says  Franklin,  " drank 
every  day  a  pint  before  breakfast,  a  pint  at  breakfast  with 


LIFE   OF    BENJAMIN    FBANKLIN.  75 

his  bread  and  cheese,  a  pint  between  breakfast  and  dinner, 
a  pint  at  dinner,  a  pint  in  the  afternoon  about  six  o'clock, 
and  another  when  he  had  done  his  day's  work.  I  thought  it 
a  detestable  custom,  but  it  was  necessary,  he  supposed,  to 
drink  strong  beer,  that  he  might  be  strong  to  labor.  I 
endeavored  to  convince  him  that  the  bodily  strength  afforded 
by  beer  could  only  be  in  proportion  to  the  grain,  or  flour,  of  the 
barley  dissolved  in  the  water  of  which  it  was  made  ;  that  there 
was  more  flour  in  a  pennyworth  of  bread  ;  and  therefore  if  he 
could  eat  that  with  a  pint  of  water,  it  would  give  him  more 
strength  than  a  quart  of  beer.  He  drank  on,  however,  and 
had  four  or  five  shillings  to  pay  out  of  his  wages  every  Sat 
urday  night  for  that  vile  liquor ;  an  expense  I  was  free  from. 
And  thus  these  poor  devils  keep  themselves  always  under." 

After  some  weeks,  Franklin  was  transferred  to 
the  composing-room.  Here  an  initiation  fee 
of  five  shillings  was  demanded,  to  be  expended 
in  drink.  Having  already  paid  one  to  the  press 
men,  he  refused  to  comply,  the  master  approving 
of  his  course.  He  stood  his  ground  for  two  or 
three  weeks,  but  was  so  much  annoyed  by  a  vari 
ety  of  tricks  practiced  upon  him,  such  as  mixing 
his  type,  transposing  and  breaking  his  matter, 
when  he  was  out  of  sight,  —  the  work,  they  told 
him,  of  the  chapel-ghost,*  which  ever  haunted 
those  not  regularly  admitted  to  their  fraternity, 
—  that  at  last  he  paid  the  score,  persuaded  of  the 
folly  of  being  on  ill  terms  with  those  one  is  to 
live  with  continually. 

"I  was  now,  "  he  adds,  "  on.  a  fair  footing  with  them,  and 
soon  acquired  considerable  influence.  I  proposed  some 
reasonable  changes  in  their  chapel-laws,  and  carried  them 

*  A  primting.house  is  called  a  chapel  by  the  workmen. 


76  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

against  all  opposition.  From  my  example  a  great  many  of 
them  left  their  muddling  breakfast  of  beer,  bread,  and  cheese, 
finding  they  could  with  me  be  supplied  from  a  neighboring 
house  with  a  large  porringer  of  hot  water-gruel,  sprinkled 
with  pepper,  crumbled  with  bread,  and  a  bit  of  butter  in  it, 
for  the  price  of  a  pint  of  beer,  viz.  three  half-pence.  This 
was  a  more  comfortable,  as  well  as  a  cheaper  breakfast,  and 
kept  their  heads  clearer.  Those  who  continued  sotting  with 
their  beer  all  day,  were  often,  by  not  paying,  out  of  credit 
at  the  ale-house,  and  used  to  make  interest  with  me  to  get 
beer  ;  their  light,  as  they  phrased  it,  being  out.  I  watched 
the  pay-table  on  Saturday  night,  and  collected  what  I  stood 
engaged  for  them,  having  to  pay  sometimes  thirty  shillings  a 
week  on  their  accounts." 

He  was  thus  in  high  favor  with  the  workmen, 
and,  from  his  uncommon  quickness  in  composing, 
he  was  much  thought  of  by  the  master,  and  re 
ceived  for  special  work,  now  and  then,  extra 
pay. 

He  afterwards  found  nearer  lodgings  in  Duke 
Street,  up  three  pairs  of  back  stairs,  where  he 
was  to  pay  the  widow  lady  who  kept  the  house 
three  shillings  and  sixpence  a  week,  which,  after 
wards,  from  her  liking  his  company,  was  reduced 
to  one  shilling  and  sixpence.  The  hostess,  who 
was  a  Catholic,  a  convert  from  Protestantism, 
was  confined  to  her  room  by  lameness.  She  was 
full  of  interesting  anecdotes  of  people  of  distinc 
tion  as  far  back  as  the  time  of  Charles  the  Sec 
ond,  and  Franklin  found  it  very  agreeable  to 
spend  an  evening,  when  she  desired  it,  in  her 
company,  their  supper  consisting  of  half  an  an- 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  77 

3hovy  each,  a  small  slice  of  bread  and  butter, 
and  half  a  pint  of  ale  between  them. 

"In  the  garret  of  her  house,"  says  Franklin,  "there  lived 
a  maiden  lady  of  seventy,  in  the  most  retired  manner,  of 
whom  my  landlady  gave  me  this  account :  that  she  was  a 
Roman  Catholic,  had  been  sent  abroad  when  young,  and 
lodged  in  a  nunnery  with  the  intent  of  becoming  a  nun  ;  but, 
the  country  not  agreeing  with  her,  she  returned  to  England, 
where,  there  being  no  nunnery,  she  had  vowed  to  lead  the 
life  of  a  nun,  as  near  as  might  be  done  in  those  circum 
stances.  Accordingly  she  had  given  all  her  estate  to  chari 
table  purposes,  reserving  only  twelve  pounds  a  year  to  live 
on,  and  out  of  this  sum  she  still  gave  a  part  in  charity,  living 
herself  on  water-gruel  only,  and  using  no  fire  but  to  boil  it. 
She  had  lived  many  years  in  that  garret,  being  permitted  to 
remain  there  gratis  by  successive  Catholic  tenants  of  the 
house  below,  as  they  deemed  it  a  blessing  to  have  her  there. 
A  priest  visited  her,  to  confess  her,  every  day.  '  From  this 
I  asked  her,'  said  my  landlady,  *  how  she,  as  she  lived,  could 
possibly  find  so  much  employment  for  a  confessor  ? '  '  Oh,' 
said  she,  'it  is  impossible  to  avoid  vain  thoughts.' 

"I  was  permitted  once  to  visit  her.  She  was  cheerful  and 
polite,  and  conversed  pleasantly.  The  room  was  clean,  but 
had  no  other  furniture  than  a  mattress,  a  table  with  a  cruci 
fix,  and  a  book,  a  stool  which  she  gave  me  to  sit  on,  and  a 
picture  over  the  chimney  of  St.  Veronica  displaying  her 
handkerchief,  with  the  miraculous  figure  of  Christ's  bleeding 
face  on  it,  which  she  explained  to  me  with  great  seriousness. 
She  looked  pale,  but  was  never  sick  ;  and  I  give  it  as  another 
instance,  on  how  small  an  income  life  and  health  may  be 
supported." 

At  Watts',  Franklin  made  the  acquaintance  of 
a  young  printer,  named  Wygate,  who  was  fond 


78  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

of  books,  spoke  French,  and  was  a  tolerable 
Latin  scholar.  Franklin  taught  him  and  a  friend 
of  his  to  swim,  and  by  these  he  was  introduced 
to  several  gentlemen,  whose  curiosity  had  been 
excited  to  see  some  of  his  feats  of  activity  in  the 
water.  He  gave  them  an  opportunity  one  day, 
and  was  much  flattered  by  their  admiration. 
W}7gate  became  so  much  attached  to  Franklin, 
that  he  proposed  that  they  should  travel  over 
Europe  together,  supporting  themselves  by  their 
business.  Franklin  was  quite  inclined  to  the 
plan,  but  his  judicious  friend  Denham  advised 
him  rather  to  return  to  Philadelphia,  which  he 
himself  was  about  resolved  to  do. 

Franklin  relates  an  instance  of  this  man's  hon 
esty  and  integrity.  Having  failed  in  business  in 
Bristol,  England,  he  compounded  with  his  cred 
itors  to  the  best  of  his  ability,  and  went  to 
America.  Having  there  acquired  a  fortune,  he 
had  returned  to  England.  Inviting  his  cred 
itors  to  an  entertainment,  he  thanked  them  foi 
their  former  leniency;  and  when  they  expected 
nothing  but  the  treat,  every  guest,  after  the  first 
course,  found  under  his  plate  an  order  on  a 
banker  for  the  full  amount  due  him,  with  inter 
est. 

Mr.  Denham  was  now  about  to  return  to  his 
home  in  Philadelphia,  where  he  intended  to  open 
a  store,  for  which  he  was  to  take  over  a  large 
stock  of  goods.  He  proposed  to  Franklin  to  go 
with  him  as  his  clerk,  to  keep  his  books,  copy 
his  letters,  and  attend  the  store.  Before  long,  he 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN    FKANKLIN.  7^ 

would  send  him  with  a  cargo  of  flour  and  bread 
to  the  West  Indies,  and  procure  him  profitable 
commission  from  others ;  if  he  showed  capacity 
for  business,  he  would  set  him  up  for  himself. 
Franklin,  being  now  tired  of  London,  and  feeling 
a  desire  to  see  Philadelphia  again,  agreed  with 
Mr.  Denham  for  fifty  pounds  a  year,  and  as  he 
thought,  took  a  farewell  leave  of  printing.  He 
was  now  continually  engaged  with  Mr.  Denham 
in  purchasing  articles  and  seeing  them  packed, 
doing  errands,  etc.  until  everything  was  on 
board. 

Franklin  had  now  spent  about  a  year  and  a 
half  in  London.  Most  of  the  time  he  had  been 
hard  at  work,  and  had  earned  fair  wages,  but 
his  "friend"  Ralph  had  kept  him  poor,  owing 
him  now  twenty-seven  pounds,  a  great  sum  out 
of  his  small  earnings.  He  had  been  disappointed 
in  the  great  object  of  his  coming,  but  he  had 
increased  his  knowledge  of  books,  and  of  the 
world,  and  had  made  some  very  profitable 
acquaintances.  He  is  to  go  back  about  as  poor 
as  he  came,  still  as  an  employee,  instead  of 
returning  with  the  outfit  of  a  printing-office  to 
set  up  as  master-printer.  Without  shame  or 
faint-heartedness,  now  but  twenty  years  of  age, 
he  will  try  again  what  diligence  in  business  can 
accomplish. 


8(>  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FKANKLIN. 


CHAPTER  XL 

Leaves  England.  —  His  Journal.  —  An  Adven 
ture. — Playing  Cards.  —  A  Dutchman. — Talk 
ing  to  a  Foreigner.  —  A  Trial.  —  A  Weary 
Bird. — Dolphins. — A  Shark.  —  Land.  —  Cape 
Henlopen.  —  Welcomed  at  Newcastle.  —  A  Hap 
py  Day.  — -At  Home. 

Franklin  left  England  for  America,  on  the  28d 
of  July,  1726,  sailing  from  Gravesend.  He 
kept  a  journal  of  the  voyage.  As  they  passed 
through  the  Downs,  the  next  day,  he  had,  as  he 
tells  us,  one  of  the  pleasantest  scenes  in  the 
world  before  him,  as  he  sat  upon  the  quarter 
deck. 

"  'Tis  a  fine,  clear  day,  and  we  are  going  away  before  the 
wind  with  an  easy,  pleasant  gale.  We  have  nearly  fifteen 
sail  of  ships  in  sight,  and,  I  may  say,  in  company.  On  the 
left  hand  appears  the  coast  of  France  at  a  distance,  and  on 
the  right  is  the  towered  castle  of  Dover,  with  the  green  hills 
and  chalky  cliffs  of  England,  to  which  we  must  now  bid 
farewell.  Albion,  farewell  !" 

The  next  day  they  saw  the  Isle  of  Wight. 
On  the  27th,  the  wind  blowing  very  hard,  they 
ran  into  Spit-head,  off  Portsmouth,  where  Frank 
lin,  with  the  captain  and  Mr.  Denham,  went 
ashore.  Franklin  improved  the  brief  opportunity 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN    FKANRLIN.  81 

to  look  about  him.  Wherever  he  went,  it  was 
with  eyes  wide  open.  His  journal  gives  quite  a 
minute  description  of  Portsmouth,  showing  the 
carefulness  and  accuracy  of  his  observations. 

Two  days  later,  the  ship  lying  off  Cowes,  in 
the  fall  of  night,  Franklin  went  ashore,  and 
took  a  four  miles  walk  to  Newport,  the  metrop 
olis,  and  then  a  mile  further  to  Carisbrooke, 
being  curious  to  see  the  castle  in  which  Charles 
I.  had  been  confined. 

Of  a  former  governor  of  the  island,  in  King 
William's  time,  he  says  : 

"  At  Ms  death  it  appeared  he  was  a  great  villain,  and  a 
great  politician ;  there  was  no  crime  so  damnable  which  he 
would  stick  at  in  the  execution  of  his  designs ;  and  yet  he 
had  the  art  of  covering  all  so  thick,  that  with  almost  all  men 
in  general,  while  he  lived,  he  passed  for  a  saint.  What  sur 
prised  me  was,  that  the  silly  old  fellow,  the  keeper  of  the 
castle,  who  remembered  him  as  Governor,  should  have  so 
true  an  idea  of  his  character  as  I  perceived  he  had.  In  short, 
I  believe  it  is  impossible  for  a  man,  though  he  has  all  the 
cunning  of  a  devil,  to  live  and  die  a  villain,  and  yet  conceal 
it  so  well  as  to  carry  the  name  of  an  honest  fellow  to  the 
grave  with  him,  but  some  one,  by  some  accident  or  other, 
shall  discover  him.  Truth  and  sincerity  have  a  certain  dis 
tinguishing  native  lustre  about  them,  which  cannot  be  per 
fectly  counterfeited ;  they  are  like  fire  and  flames,  that  cannot 
be  painted." 

The  ship  stopping  the  next  day  at  Yarmouth, 
another  little  town  upon  the  island,  because  of 
the  severe  westerly  wind,  our  young  voyager 
again  went  on  shore. 


82  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

During  this  excursion,  he  and  his  companions 
met  with  a  somewhat  sorry  adventure.  It  was 
in  trying  to  make  their  way  back  to  the  town, 
from  which  they  had  wandered  a  mile  or  two. 
They  had  headed  a  creek  that  runs  up  one  end  of 
the  town,  and  then  gone  to  a  place  called  Fresh 
water  Church,  on  the  other  side  of  the  creek. 

"Having  stayed  here,"  he  says,  "some  time  it  grew 
dark,  and  my  companions  were  desirous  to  be  gone,  lest 
those  whom  we  had  left  drinking  where  we  dined  in  the 
town,  shonld  go  on  board  and  leave  us.  We  were  told  that 
it  was  our  best  way  to  go  straight  down  to  the  mouth  of  the 
creek,  and  that  there  was  a  ferry  boy  that  would  carry  us 
over  to  the  town.  When  we  came  to  the  house  the  boy 
whelp  was  in  bed,  and  refused  to  rise  and  put  us  over;  upon 
which  we  went  down  to  the  waterside,  with  a  design  to  take 
his  boat,  and  go  over  by  ourselves.  We  found  it  very  diffi 
cult  to  get  the  boat,  it  being  fastened  to  a  stake,  and  the  tide 
risen  near  fifty  yards  beyond  it.  I  stripped  all  to  my  shirt  to 
wade  up  to  it;  but,  missing  the  causeway,  which  was  under 
water,  I  got  up  to  my  middle  in  mud.  At  last  I  came  to  the 
stake;  but,  to  my  great  disappointment,  found  she  was 
locked  and  chained.  I  endeavored  to  draw  the  staple  with 
one  of  the  thole-pins,  but  in  vain ;  I  tried  to  pull  up  the 
stake,  but  to  no  purpose;  so  that,  after  an  hour's  fatigue  and 
trouble  in  the  wet  and  mud,  I  was  forced  to  return  without 
the  boat. 

"  We  had  no  money  in  our  pockets,  and  therefore  began  to 
conclude  to  pass  th>}  night  in  some  haystack,  though  the 
wind  blew  very  cold  and  very  hard.  In  the  midst  of  these 
troubles,  one  of  us  recollected  that  he  had  a  horse-shoe  in 
his  pocket,  which  he  found  in  his  walk,  and  asked  me  if  I 
could  not  wrench  the  staple  out  with  that.  I  took  it,  went, 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  83 

tried  and  succeeded,  and  brought  the  boat  ashore  to  them. 
Now  we  rejoiced  and  all  got  in,  and,  when  I  had  dressed 
myself,  we  put  off.  But  the  worst  of  all  our  troubles  was  to 
come  yet;  for,  it  being  high  water,  and  the  tide  over  all  the 
banks,  though  it  was  moonlight  we  could  not  discern  the 
channel  of  the  creek;  but,  rowing  heedlessly  straight  for 
ward,  when  we  were  got  about  half  way  over,  we  found  our 
selves  aground  on  a  mud  bank ;  and,  striving  to  row  her  off 
by  putting  an  oar  in  the  mud,  we  broke  one  and  there  stuck 
fast,  not  having  four  inches  water.  We  were  now  in  the  ut 
most  perplexity,  not  knowing  what  in  the  world  to  do.  We 
could  not  tell  whether  the  tide  was  rising  or  falling,  but  at 
length  we  plainly  perceived  it  was  ebb,  and  we  could  feel  no 
deeper  water  within  the  reach  of  our  oar. 

"It  was  hard  to  lie  in  an  open  boat  all  night,  exposed  to 
the  wind  and  weather;  but  it  was  worse  to  think  how  foolish 
we  should  look  in  the  morning,  when  the  owner  of  the  boat 
should  catch  us  in  that  condition,  where  we  must  be  exposed 
to  the  view  of  all  the  town.  After  we  had  strove  and  strug 
gled  for  half  an  hour  and  more,  we  gave  all  over,  and  sat 
down,  with  our  hands  before  us,  despairing  to  get  off ;  for,  if 
the  tide  had  left  us,  we  had  been  never  the  nearer;  we  must 
have  sat  in  the  boat,  as  the  mud  was  too  deep  for  us  to  walk 
ashore  through  it,  being  up  to  our  necks.  At  last  we  be 
thought  ourselves  of  some  means  of  escaping,  and  two  of  us 
stripped  and  got  out,  and  thereby  lightening  the  boat,  we 
drew  her  upon  our  knees  near  fifty  yards,  into  deeper  water; 
and  then  with  much  ado,  having  but  one  oar,  we  got  safe 
ashore  under  the  fort;  and,  having  dressed  ourselves,  and 
tied  the  man's  boat,  we  went  with  great  joy  to  the  Queen's 
Head,  where  we  had  left  our  companions,  whom  we  found 
waiting  for  us,  though  it  was  very  late.  Our  boat  being  gone 
on  board,  we  were  obliged  to  lie  ashore  all  night ;  and  thus 
ended  our  walk." 


84  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

This  was  Saturday  night ;  the  next  morning 
the  boat  came  off  and  took  them  on  board.  But 
the  ship  was  detained  by  adverse  winds  from 
day  to  day.  It  was  not  till  August  5th  that  she 
finally  left  Cowes. 

At  last  a  little  incident  helped  to  relieve  the 
dull  monotony  of  the  voyage.  One  of  the  pas 
sengers  was  complained  of  for  having  marked 
his  cards,  and  a  court  of  justice  was  called  to  try 
him.  A  Dutchman,  who  knew  not  a  word  of 
English,  deposed,  by  an  interpreter,  that,  when 
Franklin's  mess  was  on  shore  at  Cowes,  the  pris 
oner  at  the  bar  marked  all  the  court  cards  with 
a  pen.  Upon  this  testimony,  Franklin  remarks 
with  shrewd  humor : 

"  We  are  apt  to  fancy  the  person  that  cannot  speak  intelli 
gibly  to  us,  proportionally  stupid  in  understanding;  and, 
when  we  speak  two  or  three  words  of  English  to  a  foreigner, 
it  is  louder  than  ordinary,  as  if  we  thought  him  deaf,  and 
that  he  had  lost  the  use  of  his  ears  as  well  as  his  tongue. 
Something  like  this,  I  imagine,  might  be  the  case  of  Mr. 

(the  defendant) ;  he  fancied  the  Dutchman  could  not 

see  what  he  was  about,  because  he  could  not  understand 
English,  and  therefore  boldly  did  it  before  his  face. 

"  The  evidence  being  plain  and  positive,  the  accused  was 
brought  in  guilty  by  the  jury.  He  was  sentenced  to  be  car 
ried  up  to  the  round-top  and  made  fast  there,  in  view  of  all 
the  ship's  company,  during  the  space  of  three  hours,  .  . 

.  and  to  pay  a  fine  of  two  bottles  of  brandy.  But,  the 
prisoner  resisting  authority,  and  refusing  to  submit  to  pun 
ishment,  one  of  the  sailors  stept  up  aloft  and  let  down  a  rope 
to  us,  which  we,  with  much  struggling,  made  fast  about  his 
middle,  and  hoisted  him  up  into  the  air,  sprawling,  by  main 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN.  85 

force.  We  let  him  hang,  cursing  and  swearing,  for  nearly  a 
quarter  of  anliour;  but  at  length,  he  crying  out  Murder! 
and  looking  black  in  the  face,  the  rope  being  overtaut 
about  his  middle,  we  thought  proper  to  let  him  down  again ; 
and  our  mess  have  excommunicated  him  till  he  pays  his 
fine,  refusing  either  to  play,  eat,  drink,  or  converse  with 
him." 

Within  less  than  a  week  he  concluded  to  pay 
the  fine,  and  took  his  former  place. 

One  day,  toward  night,  a  little  bird  alighted 
on  the  ship,  so  weary  as  to  suffer  itself  to  be 
taken  by  the  hand.  The  poor  wanderer  had 
probably  been  blown  off  the  coast  some  two  hun 
dred  leagues,  in  thick  weather,  and  could  not 
find  its  way  back  again.  It  was  hospitably  enter 
tained  with  food  and  drink,  which  it  refused.  A 
few  days  before,  one  had  come  on  board  in  sim 
ilar  circumstances,  and  probably  been  destroyed 
by  the  cat. 

At  another  time  they  caught  a  couple  of  dol 
phins,  and  fried  them  for  dinner. 

"These  fish,"  says  Franklin,  "make  a  glorious  appear 
ance  in  the  water ;  their  bodies  are  of  a  bright  green,  mixed 
with  a  silver  color,  and  their  tails  of  a  shining  golden  yellow ; 
but  all  this  vanishes  presently  after  they  are  taken  out  of 
their  element,  and  they  change  all  over  to  a  light  gray.  I 
observed  that  cutting  off  pieces  of  a  just-caught,  living  dol 
phin  for  bait,  those  pieces  did  not  lose  their  lustre  and  fine 
colors  when  the  dolphin  died,  but  retained  them  perfectly. 
Everyone  takes  notice  of  that  vulgar  error  of  the  painters, 
who  always  represent  this  fish  monstrously  crooked  and  de 
formed,  when  it  is,  in  reality,  as  beautiful  and  well-shaped  a 


86  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FKANKLIN. 

fish  as  any  that  swims.  I  cannot  think  what  can  be  the  orig 
inal  of  this  chimera  of  theirs,  since  there  is  not  a  creature 
in  nature  that  in  the  least  resembles  their  dolphin,  unless  it 
proceeded  at  first  from  a  false  imitation  of  a  fish  in  the  pos 
ture  of  leaping,  which  they  have  since  improved  into  a 
crooked  monster,  with  a  head  and  eyes  like  a  bull,  a  hog's 
snout,  and  a  tail  like  a  blown  tulip." 

The  dolphins  were  caught  with  a  hook  and 
line,  the  bait  being  a  candle  with  two  feathers 
stuck  in  it,  in  imitation  of  a  flying-fish,  their 
common  prey.  Some  which  they  afterwards 
took  appeared  to  be  very  hungry,  and  snapped 
at  the  hook  as  soon  as  it  touched  the  water.  In 
side  of  one  there  was  found  a  small  dolphin, 
half-digested.  Three  of  these  fish  made  a  dinner 
for  twenty-one  persons. 

One  day,  it  being  very  calm  and  hot,  Frank 
lin  wished  to  bathe  in  the  sea,  but  was  deterred 
by  the  appearance  of  a  shark. 

"The  animal,"  he  says,  "seemed  to  be  about  five  feet 
long,  moved  round  the  ship  at  some  distance,  in  a  slow,  ma 
jestic  manner,  attended  by  nearly  a  dozen  pilot-fish,  of  differ 
ent  sizes,  the  largest  not  so  big  as  a  small  mackerel,  and  the 
smallest  not  bigger  than  my  little  finger.  Two  of  these 
diminutive  pilots  keep  just  before  his  nose,  and  he  seems  to 
govern  himself  in  his  motions  by  their  direction ;  while  the 
rest  surround  him  on  every  side  indifferently.  A  shark  is 
never  seen  without  a  retinue  of  these,  who  are  his  purvey 
ors,  discovering  and  distinguishing  his  prey  for  him;  while 
he  in  return  gratefully  protects  them  from  the  ravenous, 
hungry  dolphin." 

At  length,  on  the  seventy-ninth  day  after  set- 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN.  87 

ting  foot  on  shipboard,  one  of  the  company,  go 
ing  after  dinner  aloft,  discerned  the  long-wished- 
for  object,  and  cried  out  "  LAND  !  LAND  !  " 

"  In  less  than  an  hour,"  says  Franklin,  "  we  could  descry 
it  from  the  deck,  appearing  like  tufts  of  trees.  I  could  not 
discern  it  so  soon  as  the  rest ;  my  eyes  were  dimmed  with  the 
suffusion  of  two  small  drops  of  joy.  By  three,  we  were  run 
in  within  two  leagues  of  the  land,  and  spied  a  small  sail 
standing  along  shore.  We  would  gladly  have  spoken  with 
her,  for  our  captain  was  unacquainted  with  the  coast,  and 
knew  not  what  land  it  was  that  we  saw.  We  made  all  the 
sail  we  could  to  speak  with  her.  We  made  a  signal  of  dis 
tress  ;  but  all  would  not  do,  the  ill-natured  dog  would  not 
come  near  us.  Then  we  stood  off  again  till  morning,  not 
caring  to  venture  too  near." 

The  next  morning  the  ship  stood  in  again  for 
land,  which  proved  to  be  Cape  Henlopen.  About 
noon  the  pilot-boat  came  to  meet  them.  The 
pilot  brought  with  him  about  a  peck  of  apples, 
which,  says  Franklin,  "  seemed  the  most  deli 
cious  I  ever  tasted  in  my  life."  A  fine  wind 
took  them  up  the  Delaware  more  than  a  hundred 
miles  before  ten  o'clock.  The  country  appeared 
"  very  pleasant  to  the  eye,  being  covered  with 
woods,  except  here  and  there  a  house  or  planta 
tion."  When  the  tide  turned  they  cast  anchor, 
about  two  miles  below  Newcastle,  where  they 
waited  for  the  return  tide.  The  next  morning 
a  gentle  breeze  took  them  past  Newcastle,  where 
the  people  gave  them  a  salute  of  welcome 
Franklin  was  in  high  spirits.  The  weather  was 
fine,  and  he  was  almost  home. 


88  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

"The  sun,"  he  says,  "enlivens  our  stiff  limbs  with  his 
glorious  rays  of  warmth  and  brightness.  The  sky  looks  gay, 
with  here  and  there  a  silver  cloud.  The  fresh  breezes  from 
the  woods  refresh  us;  the  immediate  prospect  of  liberty, 
after  so  long  and  irksome  confinement,  ravishes  me.  In 
short,  all  things  conspire  to  make  this  the  most  joyful  day  I 
ever  knew.  As  we  passed  by  Chester,  some  of  the  company 
went  on  shore,  impatient  once  more  to  tread  on  terra  firma, 
and  designing  for  Philadelphia  by  land.  Four  of  us  re 
mained  on  board,  not  caring  for  the  fatigue  of  travel  when 
we  knew  the  voyage  had  much  weakened  us.  About  eight 
at  night,  the  wind  failing  us,  we  cast  anchor  at  Redbank, 
six  miles  from  Philadelphia,  and  thought  we  must  be  obliged 
to  lie  on  board  that  night;  but,  some  young  Philadelphians 
happening  to  be  out  upon  their  pleasure  in  a  boat,  they  came 
on  board,  and  offered  to  take  us  up  with  them ;  we  accepted 
of  their  kind  proposal,  and  about  ten  o'clock  landed  at  Phil 
adelphia  (on  the  llth  of  October,  1726),  heartily  congratu 
lating  each  other  upon  our  having  happily  completed  so 
tedious  and  dangerous  a  voyage.  Thank  God  I" 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  89 


CHAPTER  XII. 

In  Philadelphia. —  A  New  Governor. —  Sir  Wil 
liam  Keith. — Miss  Head. — Franklin  in  Busi 
ness. — Mr.  Denham. — /Sickness. —  Out  of  Busi 
ness. — Returns  to  Keimer. — Larger  Wages, — 
The  Workmen. —  Creorge  Webb. — Franklin  in 
vents  a  Mould  for  casting  Types. — Engraving. 
— Leaves  Keimer. — Meredith. — A  New  Plan. 
— New  Engagement  with  Keimer. —  Printing 
Paper  Money. — Franklin  s  Inventive  G-enius. — 
At  Burlington. — A  Favorite. — New  and  Valua 
ble  Acquaintances. — Isaac  Decow. — A  Croaker. 
—  Samuel  Nickle  —  Letter  to  his  Sister. 

FRANKLIN  is  once  more  in  Philadelphia,  where 
he  finds  that  "sundry  alterations"  have  oc 
curred.  The  great  promiser  and  patron  is  no 
longer  Governor.  Franklin  met  him  walking 
the  streets  as  a  common  citizen.  He  seemed  a 
little  ashamed  at  seeing  one  whom  he  had  treated 
so  shabbily,  and  passed  him  without  a  word. 
Miss  Read,  persuaded  by  her  friends,  who  de 
spaired  of  Franklin's  return,  had  married  a  man 
who  proved  to  be  a  worthless  fellow,  and  who, 
a  year  or  two  after,  ran  away  for  debt,  and  died 
in  the  West  Indies.  Franklin  says  that  he 
should  have  been  ashamed  at  seeing  her,  but  for 


90  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

her  marriage.  As  this,  however,  was  the  conse 
quence  of  his  own  most  culpable  abandonment 
of  her,  after  their  solemn  engagement,  the  want 
of  shame  is  not  at  all  to  his  credit.  Afterward 
he  viewed  his  conduct  in  a  juster  light,  and 
made  what  amends  he  could.  As  to  Keimer,  he 
found  him  in  a  more  prosperous  condition,  with 
a  better  house,  a  shop  well  supplied  with  sta 
tionery,  new  types,  and  a  number  of  hands,  and 
with  apparently  a  good  run  of  business. 

Franklin's  engagement  with  Mr.  Denham  had 
an  encouraging  beginning.  The  two  were  warm 
friends.  They  lodged  and  boarded  together; 
Denham  counseled  his  young  clerk  as  a  father, 
and  was  in  turn  respected  and  beloved.  But  in 
a  little  over  three  months,  the  business  was  in 
terrupted  by  the  severe  sickness  of  both  of  them. 
Franklin  came  near  dying,  of  pleurisy,  and  Den- 
ham's  sickness,  after  holding  him  a  long  time, 
proved  fatal.  The  store  was  taken  into  the  care 
of  executors,  and  once  more,  with  a  small  legacy 
left  by  Mr.  Denham  as  a  token  of  kindness, 
Franklin,  now  in  his  twenty-first  year,  was  left 
to  the  wide  world. 

After  looking  about  in  vain  for  employment 
as  a  merchant's  clerk,  Franklin,  much  against 
his  feelings,  accepted  an  offer  of  large  wages 
from  Keimer.  He  was  to  take  the  management 
of  the  printing-house,  while  Keimer  attended  to 
the  stationer's  shop.  He  soon  learned  that 
Keimer's  object  in  engaging  him  was  to  have 
him  train  several  raw,  cheap  hands  whom  he 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN    FHANKLIN.  91 

had  in  his  employ,  and  that  when  these  were 
sufficiently  instructed,  he  was  to  be  dismissed. 
Franklin  had  the  good  sense,  however,  to  do  his 
best,  and  succeeded  in  due  time  in  making  them 
much  better  workmen.  One  of  them  was  Hugh 
Meredith,  a  Welsh  Pennsylvanian,  thirty  years 
of  age,  bred  to  country  work,  an  honest,  sensi 
ble  man,  fond  of  reading,  but  addicted  to  drink. 
Another  was  Stephen  Potts,  from  the  country, 
full  of  talent  and  wit,  but  a  little  idle.  At  first 
they  received  very  small  wages,  which  were  to 
be  gradually  raised  as  they  improved  in  their 
business.  Meredith  was  to  work  at  press,  Potts 
at  bookbinding,  which  Keimer  agreed  to  teach 
them,  though  ignorant  of  both.  Then  there 
was  a  wild  Irishman,  whose  service  of  four  years 
had  been  purchased  of  a  captain  of  a  ship,  and 
who  was  to  be  made  a  pressman ;  but  he  soon  ran 
away.  David  Harry  was  apprentice  boy,  from 
the  country.  Lastly,  there  was  George  Webb, 
an  Oxford  scholar,  whose  service  Keimer  had 
bought  for  four  years,  intending  him  for  a  com 
positor.  "It  was  an  odd  thing,"  says  Franklin, 
"  to  find  an  Oxford  scholar  in  the  situation  of  a 
bought  servant."  He  was  now  but  eighteen 
years  of  age.  According  to  his  own  account,  he 
was  born  in  Gloucester,  and  was  educated  at  a 
grammar  school,  where  he  gained  some  distinc 
tion  among  the  pupils  in  dramatic  performances. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  Wits'  Club,  and  suc 
ceeded  in  having  some  of  his  pieces  in  prose  and 
poetry  printed  in  the  Gloucester  newspapers. 


92  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

From  there  he  went  to  the  University,  where  he 
staid  but  a  year,  having  but  one  ambition,  to  be 
a  play-actor.  With  his  quarterly  allowance  of 
fifteen  shillings,  which  he  put  in  his  pocket  in 
stead  of  paying  his  debts,  he  walked  out  of 
town,  one  day,  hid  his  scholar's  gown  in  a  furze 
bush,  and  made  his  way  on  foot  to  London. 
Having  no  friends  to  advise  him,  he  here  fell 
into  bad  company,  soon  parted  with  his  money, 
and,  finding  no  way  of  access  to  the  players,  was 
forced  to  pawn  his  clothes  for  bread.  Walking 
the  street,  very  hungry,  and  not  knowing  what 
to  do  with  himself,  he  fell  an  easy  prey  to  a 
crimp,  who  was  decoying  persons  into  bond 
service,  in  America.  In  his  desperation  he  at 
once  signed  the  papers,  was  put  on  shipboard, 
and  bid  adieu  to  England,  without  sending  a 
line  to  his  friends.  "  He  was,"  says  Franklin, 
"  lively,  witty,  good-natured,  and  a  pleasant 
companion,  but  idle,  thoughtless,  and  imprudent 
to  the  last  degree." 

Franklin  lived  very  agreeably  with  them  all, 
and  was  well-treated  by  Keimer.  His  debt  to 
Vernon,  however,  was  a  perpetual  anxiety, 
though  fortunately 'payment  was  not  demanded. 

As  suitable  types  were  often  wanting,  and 
could  not  be  procured  in  America,  Frai.klin 
contrived  a  mould  for  casting  letters.  He  also 
turned  his  hand  to  engraving,  made  the  ink, 
was  warehouseman,  and,  in  short,  quite  a  facto 
tum. 

But  as  the   other  hands,   whose    wages    were 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

small,  improved  in  skill  under  Franklin's  in 
struction,  he  found  that  his  own  services  were 
becoming  less  important,  or,  rather,  that  his  high 
wages  were  growing  to  be  a  burden.  Gradually 
Keimer  became  captious  and  fault-finding. 
Franklin,  however,  took  it  patiently,  till  at 
length  a  trifle  separated  them. 

"A  great  noise,"  says  Franklin,  "happening  near  the 
court-house,  I  put  my  head  out  of  the  window  to  see  what 
was  the  matter.  Keimer,  being  in  the  street,  looked  up  and 
saw  me,  called  out  to  me  in  a  loud  voice  and  angry  tone  to 
mind  my  business;  adding  some  reproachful  words,  which 
nettled  me  the  more  for  their  publicity.  He  came 

up  immediately  into  the  printing-house,  continued  the  quar 
rel,  high  words  passed  on  both  sides,  he  gave  me  the  quar 
ter's  warning  we  had  stipulated,  expressing  a  wish  that  he 
had  not  been  obliged  to  so  long  a  warning.  I  told  him 
his  wish  was  unnecessary,  for  I  would  leave  him  that  in 
stant;  and  so,  taking  my  hat,  walked  out  of  doors,  desiring 
Meredith,  whom  I  saw  below,  to  take  care  of  some  things  I 
left,  and  bring  them  to  my  lodgings." 

In  the  evening  he  talked  over  the  affair  with 
Meredith,  who  told  him  that  Keimer's  business 
was  in  a  very  bad  way,  so  that  he  must  soon  fail, 
which  would  leave  a  vacancy  for  somebody.  He 
advised  Franklin  to  set  up  for  himself,  and  when 
the  want  of  capital  was  objected,  he  said  that 
his  father,  who  had  a  high  opinion  of  Franklin, 
would  advance  him  money  if  he  would  enter 
into  partnership  with  him  (Meredith).  His  en 
gagement  with  Keimer  would  be  out  in  the 
spring,  by  which  time  a  press  and  types  might  be 


94  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

obtained  from  London.  And  as  he  knew  he 
was  a  poor  workman,  he  would  set  Franklin's 
skill  against  the  capital  he  would  furnish,  and 
they  would  share  the  profits  equally. 

Franklin  was  pleased  with  the  plan,  and  Mere 
dith's  father,  who  was  then  in  town,  also  approv 
ing  of  it,  the  connection  was  formed.  The 
father  was  the  more  ready  for  this  arrangement, 
because  of  Franklin's  influence  over  his  son,  in 
persuading  him  to  abstain  long  from  drink,  and 
his  hope  that  the  wretched  habit  might  be  en 
tirely  broken  up  when  the  two  came  to  be 
closely  connected. 

An  order  was  sent  to  England  for  a  press  and 
types,  and  Franklin  sought  temporary  work  at 
the  other  printer's  house ;  the  new  plan  being 
meanwhile  kept  a  secret.  But  there  was  no  va 
cancy  at  Bradford's.  In  a  few  days,  however, 
Keimer,  whose  self-interest  made  it  easy  for  him 
to  make,  as  to  break,  friendship,  sent  a  very 
civil  message  to  Franklin  that  friends  should  not 
part  for  a  few  words,  the  effect  of  sudden  pas 
sion,  and  wishing  him  to  return.  He  had  a  job 
in  prospect,  to  print  some  paper  money  in  New 
Jersey,  which  would  require  cuts  and  various 
types  that  Franklin  only  could  supply.  His  in 
ventive  faculty  was  of  great  service  to  him. 

"When  he  was  young  in  business,"  says  Watson,  "and 
stood  in  need  of  sundry  articles  in  the  line  of  his  province 
as  a  printer,  he  had  the  ingenuity  to  make  them  for  himself. 
In  this  way  he  founded  letters  of  lead,  engraved  various 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  95 

printing  ornaments,  cut  wood-cuts,  made  printer's  ink,  en 
graved  copper-plate  vignettes,  and  made  his  plate-press." 

Meredith,  who  was  still  at  Keimer's,  and  who 
wanted  Franklin's  instructions,  persuaded  him 
to  return.  He  came,  contrived  a  copper-plate 
press,  the  first  seen  in  the  country,  and  cut 
several  ornaments  and  checks  for  the  bills.  Kei- 
mer  and  Franklin  went  to  Burlington,  where  the 
latter  successfully  executed  the  job,  and  the 
former  received  so  large  a  sum  for  the  work  as 
to  be  able  to  hold  his  head  above  water  a  while 
longer. 

At  Burlington,  where  they  continued  three 
months,  Franklin,  now  a  young  man  of  twenty- 
one,  intelligent  and  well-bred,  made  the  ac 
quaintance  of  many  of  the  principal  people  of 
the  province.  They  invited  him  to  their  houses, 
introduced  him  to  their  friends,  and  showed  him 
much  civility.  Poor  Keimer,  though  the  head 
man  in  the  business,  was  quite  neglected. 

"He  was,"  says  Franklin,  "  an  odd  creature,  ignorant  of 
common  life,  slovenly  to  extreme  dirtiness,  fond  of  widely 
opposing  received  opinions,  enthusiastic  in  some  points  of 
religion,  and  a  little  knavish  withal." 

Among  Franklin's  new  acquaintances  were 
the  Secretary  of  the  Province,  several  members 
of  the  Assembly,  and  the  Surveyor-general,  Isaac 
Decow. 

"  The  latter,"  he  says,  "was  a  shrewd,  sagacious  old  man, 
who  told  me  that  he  began  for  himself,  when  young,  by 
wheeling  clay  for  the  brickmaker,  learned  to  write  after  he 


96  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FKANKLIN. 

was  of  age,  carried  the  chain  for  surveyors,  who  taught  him 
surveying,  and  he  had  now  by  his  industry  acquired  a  good 
estate ;  and,  said  he,  *  I  foresee  that  you  will  soon  work  this 
man  out  of  his  business,  and  make  a  fortune  in  it  at  Phila 
delphia.'  " 

Soon  after  Franklin's  return  to  the  city,  the 
new  types  arrived  from  London.  Having  settled 
with  Keimer,  Franklin  and  Meredith  rented  a 
house  near  the  market,  and  commenced  business. 
To  lessen  the  rent,  which  was  twenty-four 
pounds  a  year,  they  let  part  of  "the  building  to  a 
man  and  his  family,  with  whom  they  were  to 
board.  The  press  was  scarcely  in  order,  when  a 
small  job  brought  them  in  five  shillings  ;  which, 
says  Franklin,  "  being  our  first  fruits,  and  com 
ing  so  seasonably"  [when  all  their  cash  was  ex 
pended  in  starting  the  business],  "gave  me  more 
pleasure  than  any  crown  I  have  since  earned." 
And  he  adds : 

"The  gratitude  I  felt  towards  House"  [who  brought  the 
order],  "has  made  me  often  more  ready,  than  perhaps  I 
otherwise  should  have  been,  to  assist  young  beginners." 

Franklin  had  warm  and  influential  friends, 
who  encouraged  him  in  his  new  enterprise,  but 
at  least  one  friend  of  a  more  doubtful  character. 

"There  are  croakers,"  says  Franklin,  " in  every  country, 
always  boding  its  ruin.  Such  a  one  there  lived  in  Philadel 
phia  ;  a  person  of  note,  an  elderly  man  with  a  wise  look  and 
a  very  grave  manner  of  speaking;  his  name  was  Samuel 
Nickle.  The  gentleman,  a  stranger  to  me,  stopped  me  one 
day  at  my  door,  and  asked  me  if  I  was  the  young  man  who 
had  lately  opened  a  printing-house  ?  Being  answered  in  the 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  97 

affirmative,  he  said  he  was  sorry  for  me,  because  it  was  an 
expensive  undertaking,  and  the  expense  would  be  lost;  for 
Philadelphia  was  a  sinking  place,  the  people  already  half 
bankrupts,  or  near  being  so ;  all  the  appearances  of  the  con 
trary,  such  as  new  buildings  and  the  rise  of  rents,  being  to 
his  certain  knowledge  fallacious;  for  they  were  in  fact 
among  the  things  that  would  ruin  us.  Then  he  gave  me 
such  a  detail  of  misfortunes  now  existing,  or  that  were  soon 
to  exist,  that  he  left  me  half  melancholly.  Had  I  known 
him  before  I  engaged  in  this  business,  probably  I  never 
should  have  done  it.  This  person  continued  to  live  in  this 
decaying  place,  and  to  declaim  in  the  same  strain,  refusing 
for  many  years  to  buy  a  house  there,  because  all  was  going 
to  destruction ;  and  at  last  I  had  the  pleasure  of  seeing  him 
give  five  times  as  much  for  one  as  he  might  have  bought  it 
for  when  he  first  began  croaking." 

Franklin's  youngest  and  favorite  sister,  Jane, 
was  now  about  fifteen  years  old.  Franklin  sent 
her  the  following  letter,  under  date  of  January 
6, 1726. 

"DEAR  SISTER, 

"  I  am  highly  pleased  with  the  account  Captain  Freeman 
gives  me  of  you.  I  always  judged  by  your  behavior  when  a 
child,  that  you  would  make  a  good,  agreeable  woman,  and 
you  know  you  were  ever  my  peculiar  favorite.  I  have  been 
thinking  what  would  be  a  suitable  present  for  me  to  make, 
and  for  you  to  receive,  as  I  hear  you  are  grown  a  celebrated 
beauty.  I  had  almost  determined  on  a  tea-table;  but  when  I 
considered  that  the  character  of  a  good  housewife  was  far 
preferable  to  that  of  being  only  a  pretty  gentlewoman,  I  con 
cluded  to  send  you  a  spinning-wheel,  which  I  hope  you  will 
accept  as  a  small  token  of  my  sincere  love  and  affection. 


S  UFB  €*  HEKJAOTH  FKANKUX. 


*»—  »  —  »  —  rmftnrr  Unft  mitrrf 
iiimrtj  iluJhi  MihMir  MIJ  rliirmti^  m  ftm 
of  i  fi  iufcaUWy  WBton  tb*  MM*  pwf  wl  b^utr 
and  odious    But  wlnjn  that  brightest  of  femate 

ara«$  ottra  petfeetMMK  of  body  a^d  mina  in  the 
inn^  it  Mint  ti»  MMM  «m  kw«Jy  than  an  n«* 


. 
•'  B. 


LIJfK  OF   BENJAMIN    Fit  AN  KLIN.  99 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

The  Junto  —  Its  members  —  Queries—  Terms  of 
Admission —  Origin  of  American  Philosophical 
Society.— Ill*  Diiiyence.  —  Ur.  Baird. 

IN  the  preceding  autumn,  Franklin  had  formed 
"  most  of  his  ingenious  acquaintances  into  a  club 
for  mutual  improvement,"  which  was  called  the 
JUNTO. 

"We  met,"  he  says,  "on  Friday  evenings.  The  mem 
bers,  in  turn,  were  to  propose  for  discussion  questions  upon 
Morals,  Politics,  or  Natural  Philosophy,  and  once  in  three 
months  each  one  was  to  read  an  original  essay  upon  any 
subject  he  pleased.  They  were  to  have  only  in  view  the  dis 
covery  of  truth;  and  all  violations  of  moderation  and  cour 
tesy  in  debate  were  made  subject  to  a  small  fine." 

Franklin  says,  that  the  long  continuance  of 
the  club  was  largely  owing  to  the  care  with 
which  the  members  maintained  the  proprieties  of 
debate,  and  the  attention  which  they  gave  to 
reading  upon  the  several  subjects  which  caine 
under  discussion. 

Among  the  rules  of  the  Junto  were  the  follow 
ing,  which  show  the  philosophical  and  practical 
mind  of  Franklin;  and  they  are  certainly  re 
markable  for  a  young  inan  of  twenty -two : 

"  Have  you  read  over  these  queries  this  morning,  in  order 


100  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

to  consider  what  you  might  have  to  offer  the  Junto  touching 
any  one  of  them,  viz. : 

1.  Have  you  met  with  anything  in  the  author  you  last 
read  remarkable,  or  suitable  to  be  communicated  to  the 
Junto?    particularly  in  history,    morality,   poetry,   physic, 
travels,  mechanic  arts,  and  other  parts  of  knowledge  ? 

2.  What  new  story  have  you  lately  heard  agreeable  for 
telling  in  conversation  ? 

3.  Hath  any  citizen,  in  your  knowledge,  failed  in  his  bus 
iness  lately,  and  what  have  you  heard  of  the  cause  ? 

4.  Have  you  lately  heard  of  any  citizens  thriving  well,  and 
by  what  means  ? 

6.  Do  you  know  of  a  fellow  citizen  who  has  lately  done  a 
worthy  action,  deserving  praise  and  imitation ;  or  who  has 
lately  committed  an  error,  proper  for  us  to  be  warned  against 
and  avoid? 

7.  What  unhappy  effects  of  intemperance  have  you  lately 
observed  or  heard,  of  imprudence,  of  passion,  of  modera 
tion,  or  of.  any  other  virtue  ? 

9.  Have  yon,  or  any  of  your  acquaintances,  been  lately 
sick  or  wounded?    If  so,  what  remedies  were  used,  and 
what  were  their  effects  ?" 

10.  Whom  do  you  know  that  are  shortly  going  voyages  or 
journeys,  if  one  should  have  occasion  to  send  by  them  ? 

11.  Do  you  think  of  anything  at  present,  in  which  the 
Junto  may  be  serviceable  to  mankind,  to  their  country,  to 
their  friends,  or  to  themselves  ? 

12.  Hath  any  deserving  stranger  arrived  in  town  since 
last  meeting,  that  you  have  heard  of  ?    And  what  have  you 
observed  of  his  character  or  merits  ?    And  whether,  think 
you,  it  lies  in  the  power  of  the  Junto  to  oblige  him,  or  en 
courage  him  as  he  deserves  ? 

13.  Do  you  know  of  any  deserving  young  beginner  lately 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  101 

set  up,  whom  it  lies  in  the  power  of  the  Junto  anyway  to 
encourage  ? 

14.  Have  you  lately  observed  any  defect  in  the  laws  of 
your  country,  of  which  it  would  be  proper  to  move  the  Leg 
islature  for  an  amendment  ?  Or  do  you  know  of  any  bene 
ficial  law  that  is  wanting  ?  " 

This  club  was  not  only  an  important  means  of 
intellectual  and  moral  improvement  to  its  mem 
bers  generally,  but  was  also  a  great  help  to 
Franklin  in  his  business.  Every  member  rec 
ommended  him  for  his  skill  and  efficiency,  and 
Breitnal,  in  particular,  procured  for  him  from  the 
Quakers  the  printing  of  a  portion  of  their  history, 
the  rest  of  the  work  being  in  Keimer's  hands. 
It  was  a  folio,  with  long  notes.  Franklin  set  up 
a  sheet  a  day,  Meredith  doing  the  press-work, 
and  it  was  often  eleven  at  night,  and  sometimes 
later,  when  Franklin  had  distributed  his  types 
for  the  next  day's  stint.  The  little  jobs  sent  in 
by  other  friends,  now  and  then,  compelled  them 
to  work  all  the  harder  to  complete  their  assigned 
task  ;  but  so  determined  was  Franklin  to  do  his 
sheet  a  day,  that,  having  one  night  accidentally 
broken  his  forms  and  reduced  his  pages  to  pi,  he 
immediately  distributed  his  types,  and  composed 
it  all  over  again  before  he  went  to  bed. 

Such  remarkable  industry  gave  the  new  firm 
character  and  credit.  Failure  was  indeed  pre 
dicted  by  many  of  the  merchants,  at  their  every- 
night  club,  from  there  being  two  other  printers 
in  the  place ;  but  Dr.  Baird,  a  Scotch  gentle 
man,  gave  a  contrary  opinion.  "  For,"  said  he, 


102  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

"  the  industry  of  that  Franklin  is  superior  to 
anything  I  ever  saw  of  the  kind ;  I  see  him  still 
at  work  when  I  go  home  from  the  club,  and  he 
is  at  work  again  before  his  neighbors  are  out  of 
bed." 

And  this  opinion  turned  the  tide  in  his  favor. 
Franklin  here  modestly  remarks : 

"I  mention  this  industry  more  particularly  and  more 
freely,  though  it  seems  to  be  talking  in  my  own  praise,  that 
those  of  my  posterity  who  shall  read  it,  may  know  the  use 
of  that  virtue,  when  they  see  its  effects  in  my  favor  through 
out  this  relation." 

The  time  is  at  hand  when  the  printer  will  be 
come  a  publisher  and  editor  of  a  newspaper. 
His  plan  was  interrupted  for  a  season  by  his  in 
advertently  betraying  bis  secret.  George  Webb, 
the  young  Oxford  scholar,  and  also  a  member 
of  the  Junto,  having  purchased  his  time  of 
Keimer  by  the  help  of  a  female  friend,  now  came 
to  offer  himself  as  a  journeyman  to  Franklin  and 
Meredith.  They  could  not  then  employ  him, 
but  Franklin  let  him  know  that  he  soon  intended 
to  begin  a  new  paper,  and  might  then  have  work 
for  him.  Bradford's  paper,  he  said,  was  a  paltry 
thing,  and  yet  profitable  ;  so  that  a  good  news 
paper  could  scarcely  fail  of  encouragement. 
"You  will  not  mention  this,"  said  he  ;  but  the 
mean  fellow  told  it  to  Keimer,  who  immediately 
put  out  proposals  for  one  himself,  offering  em 
ployment  to  Webb.  Franklin  was  vexed  at 
this,  and  not  being  yet  ready  to  commence  his 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FKANKLIN.  103 

owu  paper,  he  and  Breitnal  wrote  a  series  of 
amusing  pieces  for  Bradford's  paper,  which 
served  to  draw  public  attention  in  that  direction, 
and  afforded  an  opportunity  of  burlesquing  and 
ridiculing  Keimer's  proposals.  He  began  his 
paper,  however,  but  after  a  trial  of  nine  months, 
with  ninety  subscribers,  he  offered  to  sell  out  for 
a  small  sum.  Franklin  took  the  paper  off  his 
hands,  and  made  it  in  a  few  years  very  profita 
ble.  The  paper  was  called  The  Pennsylvania 
Gazette,  and  Franklin  and  Meredith  began  with 
No.  40,  September  25th,  1729,  Franklin  being 
within  about  three  months  of  being  twenty-four 
years  of  age. 

An  oft-repeated  anecdote  of  Franklin  exhibits 
his  fearless  honesty. 

"Soon  after  the  establishment  of  his  new  paper,"  says 
Sparks,  "he  found  occasion  to  remark  with  some  degree  of 
freedom  on  the  public  conduct  of  one  or  two  persons  of  high 
standing  in  Philadelphia.  This  course  was  disapproved  by 
some  of  his  patrons,  who  sought  an  opportunity  to  convey 
to  him  their  views  on  the  subject,  and  what  they  represented 
to  be  the  opinion  of  his  friends.  He  listened  patiently,  and 
replied  by  requesting  that  they  would  favor  him  with  their 
company  at  supper,  and  bring  with  them  the  other  gentle 
men  who  had  expressed  dissatisfaction.  The  time  arrived, 
and  the  guests  assembled.  He  received  them  cordially,  and 
listened  again  to  their  friendly  reproofs  of  his  editorial  con 
duct.  At  length  supper  was  announced;  but,  when  the 
guests  had  seated  themselves  around  the  table,  they  were 
surprised  to  see  nothing  before  them  but  two  puddings, 
made  of  coarse  meal,  called  sawdust-puddings,  in  the  com 
mon  phrase,  and  a  stone  pitcher  filled  with  water.  He  helped 


104  LIFE  OP  BENJAMIN   FKANKLIN. 

them  all,  and  then  applied  himself  to  his  own  plate,  partak 
ing  freely  of  the  repast,  and  -urging  his  friends  to  do  the 
same.  They  taxed  their  politeness  to  the  utmost,  but  all  in 
vain ;  their  appetites  refused  obedience  to  the  will.  Perceiv 
ing  their  difficulty,  Franklin  at  last  arose  and  said:  *  M\ y 
friends,  anyone  who  can  subsist  upon  sawdust-pudding  and 
water,  as  I  can,  needs  no  man' s  patronage.'  " 

Franklin  was  held  responsible  for  whatever 
appeared  in  the  paper,  as  in  fact  he  was,  the 
incapacity  and  intemperance  of  Meredith  throw 
ing  the  whole  management  upon  the  enterprising 
and  sober  partner. 

And  yet  Franklin  was  prudent  and  honorable 
in  the  conduct  of  his  newspaper,  as  well  as  in 
dependent. 

"I  carefully  excluded,"  he  says,  "all  libelling  and  per 
sonal  abuse.  •  •  •  Whenever  I  was  solicited  to  insert 
anything  of  that  kind,  and  the  writers  pleaded,  as  they  gen 
erally  did,  the  liberty  of  the  press ;  and  that  a  newspaper  was 
like  a  stage-coach,  in  which  anyone  who  would  pay  had  a 
right  to  a  place,  my  answer  was,  that  I  would  print  the 
piece  separately,  if  desired,  •  •  •  but  that  I  would  not 
take  upon  me  to  spread  his  detraction,  and  that,  having  con 
tracted  with  my  subscribers  to  furnish  them  with  what 
might  be  either  useful  or  entertaining,  I  could  not  fill  their 
papers  with  private  altercations,  in  which  they  had  no  con 
cern,  without  doing  them  manifest  injustice." 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FKANKLIN.  105 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

His  Newspaper  Prospers.  —  Obtains  the  Public 
Printing.  —  Hears  from  Mr.  Vernon.  —  A 
Difficulty.  —  Fear  of  Failure.  —  Trouble  from 
Meredith. —  Separation.  — Relief  from  Friends. 
Discussions  in  the  Junto.  —  Demand  for  Paper 
Money.  —  Writes  on  the  Nature  and  Necessity 
of  a  Paper  Currency.  —  Prints  the  Money.  — 
Adds  a  Stationer's  Shop.  —  His  Business  Prin 
ciples. —  Uses  a  Wlieelbarroiv. — Keimer  goes 
to  Barbadoes. — Mr.  Bradford  the  only  Rival. — 
Franklin's  Method  of  Resentment.  —  Thinks  of 
Matrimony.  —  Mrs.  Godfrey  as  a  Matchmaker. 
" A  Deserving  Girl" — Failure  of  the  Plan. 
—  Thinks  of  Miss  Read.  — Marriage.  — Letter 
to  Mr.  Mecum.  —  Remedy  for  Cancer. 

The  paper  continued  to  prosper.  "  One  of 
the  first  good  effects,"  says  Franklin,  "of  my 
having  learned  a  little  to  scribble."  His  other 
business  also  increased,  the  leading  men,  Mr. 
Hamilton  particularly,  giving  him  patronage  and 
encouragement.  Bradford  still  had  the  job  of 
printing  the  votes  and  laws  and  other  public 
matter ;  but,  having  printed  in  a  slovenly  man 
ner  an  address  of  the  House  to  the  Governor, 


106  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

which  Franklin's  press  immediately  issued  ele 
gantly  and  correctly,  a  copy  being  sent  to  every 
member,  he  lost  the  public  printing  the  next 
year. 

But  an  indiscretion  of  former  years  came  to 
trouble  him.  Mr.  Vernon  put  Franklin  in  mind 
of  the  debt  he  owed  him,  though  he  did  not 
press  the  payment.  Franklin  wrote  a  letter 
acknowledging  his  friend's  long  forbearance,  and 
asking  a  little  further  indulgence,  which  was 
generously  granted. 

"As  soon  as  I  was  able,"  he  says,  "I  paid  the  principal 
with  the  interest,  and  many  thanks ;  so  that  erratum  was  in 
some  degree  corrected." 

Franklin  never  forgot  Mr.  Vernon's  kindness, 
and  many  years  afterwards,  while  he  was  minis 
ter  plenipotentiary  at  the  Court  of  France,  he 
had  the  great  pleasure  of  rendering  valuable 
service  to  a  young  man,  a  descendant  of  Mr. 
Vernon,  who  spent  some  time  in  that  country. 

"But  now,"  he  says,  "another  difficulty  came  upon  me, 
which  I  had  never  the  least  reason  to  suspect.  Mr.  Mere 
dith's  father,  who  was  to  have  paid  for  our  printing-house, 
•  •  *  was  able  to  advance  only  one  hundred  pounds  cur 
rency,  which  had  been  paid ;  and  a  hundred  more  were  due 
to  the  merchant,  who  grew  impatient  and  sued  us  all.  We 
gave  bail,  but  saw  that,  if  the  money  could  not  be  raised  in 
time,  the  suit  must  soon  come  to  a  judgment  and  execution, 
and  our  hopeful  prospects  must,  with  us,  be  ruined ;  as  the 
press  and  letters  must  be  sold  for  payment,  perhaps  at  half 
price. 

"  In  this  distress  two  true  friends,  whose  kindness  I  have 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  107 

never  forgotten,  nor  ever  shall  forget  while  I  can  remember 
anything,  came  to  me  separately,  unknown  to  each  other, 
and,  without  any  application  from  me,  offered,  each  of 
them,  to  advance  me  all  the  money  that  should  be  necessary 
to  enable  me  to  take  the  whole  business  upon  myself,  if  that 
should  be  practicable ;  but  they  did  not  like  my  continuing 
the  partnership  with  Meredith,  who,  as  they  said,  was  often 
seen  drunk  in  the  streets,  playing  at  low  games  in  alehouses, 
much  to  our  discredit. 

"  These  two  friends  were  William  Coleman  and  Kobert 
Grace.  I  told  them  I  could  not  propose  a  separation,  while 
any  prospect  remained  of  the  Merediths'  fulfilling  their  part 
of  the  engagement ;  because  I  thought  myself  under  great 
obligations  to  them  for  what  they  had  done,  and  would  do 
if  they  could;  but,  if  they  finally  failed  in  their  perform 
ance,  and  our  partnership  must  be  dissolved,  I  should  then 
think  myself  at  liberty  to  accept  the  assistance  of  my  friend. 

"  Thus  the  matter  rested  for  some  time,  when  I  said  to  my 
partner,  '  Perhaps  your  father  is  dissatisfied  with  the  part 
you  have  undertaken  in  this  affair  of  ours,  and  is  unwilling 
to  advance  for  you  and  me,  what  he  would  for  you.  If  that 
is  the  case,  tell  me,  and  I  will  resign  the  whole  to  you,  and 
go  about  my  business.'  '  No,'  said  he,  '  my  father  has  really 
been  disappointed,  and  is  really  unable ;  and  I  am  unwilling 
to  distress  him  further.  I  see  this  is  a  business  I  am  not  fit 
for.  I  was  bred  a  farmer,  and  it  was  folly  in  me  to  come  to 
town,  and  put  myself,  at  thirty  years  of  age,  an  apprentice 
to  learn  a  new  trade.  Many  of  our  Welsh  people  are  going 
to  settle  in  North  Carolina,  where  land  is  cheap.  I  am  in 
clined  to  go  with  them,  and  follow  my  old  employment;  you 
may  find  friends  to  assist  you.  If  you  will  take  the  debts  of 
the  company  upon  you,  return  to  my  father  the  hundred 
pounds  he  has  advanced,  pay  my  little  personal  debts,  and 
give  me  thirty  pounds  and  a  new  saddle,  I  will  relinquish  the 
partnership,  and  leave  the  whole  in  vour  hands. 


108  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN. 

"I  agreed  to  this  proposal;  it  was  drawn  up  in  writing, 
signed  and  sealed  immediately.  I  gave  him  what  he  de 
manded,  and  he  went  soon  after  to  Carolina,  whence  he  sent 
me  next  year  two  long  letters,  containing  the  best  account 
that  had  been  given  of  that  country,  the  climate,  the  soil  and 
husbandry,  for  in  those  matters  he  was  very  judicious.  I 
printed  them  in  the  papers,  and  they  gave  great  satisfaction 
to  the  public. 

"  As  soon  as  he  was  gone  I  recurred  to  my  two  friends,  and 
because  I  would  not  give  an  unkind  preference  to  either, 
I  took  half  of  what  each  had  offered  and  I  wanted  of  one, 
and  half  of  the  other;  paid  off  the  company's  debts,  and 
went  on  with  the  business  in  my  own  name." 

This  was  in  July,  1730,  over  nine  months 
from  their  commencing  the  paper. 

The  discussions  in  the  Junto,  on  subjects  of 
public  interest,  were  an  excellent  training  for 
Franklin  as  an  editor.  He  was  prepared  to  write 
upon  such  matters  in  an  instructive  and  forcible 
manner,  which  gave  weight  to  his  opinions  and 
character  to  his  paper. 

About  the  time  that  the  G-azette  passed  into 
his  sole  management,  a  general  demand  arose  for 
more  paper  money.  There  was  not  enough  for 
the  transaction  of  business;  there  being  only 
fifteen  thousand  pounds  in  the  provinces,  and 
that  soon  to  be  taken  out  of  the  currency.  The 
wealthy  inhabitants,  who  considered  the  interests 
of  creditors,  favored  only  a  specie  currency,  fear 
ing  the  disastrous  results  of  a  new  paper  issue, 
as  in  New  England.  Franklin  took  the  other 
side, 

"being  persuaded,"  he  says,  "that  the  first  small  sum 


LIFE-  OF  BENJAMIN  FEANKLIN.  109 

struck  in  1723  had  done  much  good  by  increasing  the  trade, 
employment,  and  number  of  inhabitants  in  the  province; 
since  I  now  saw  all  the  old  houses  inhabited,  and  many 
new  ones  building ;  whereas,  I  remembered  well,  when  I  first 
walked  about  the  streets  of  Philadelphia,  .eating  my  roll,  I 
saw  many  of  the  houses  in  Walnut  Street,  with  bills  on  their 
doors,  '  To  be  Let ; '  and  many  likewise  in  other  streets ; 
which  made  me  think  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  were  one 
after  another  deserting  it." 

He  accordingly  wrote  and  printed  an  anony 
mous  pamphlet  entitled,  "  The  Nature  and 
Necessity  of  a  Paper  Currency,"  which  had  such 
an  influence  as  to  carry  the  point  in  the  Assem 
bly.  Franklin  was  rewarded  for  his  service  by 
having  awarded  to  him  the  very  profitable  job  of 
printing  the  money  ;  another  advantage,  he  says, 
gained  by  his  ability  to  write.  In  the  present 
instance,  it  is  not  altogether  improbable  that  the 
expectation  of  printing  the  bills  had  some  influ 
ence  on  his  opinion.  Through  his  friend  Hamil 
ton,  Franklin  obtained  the  printing  of  the  New 
Jersey  paper  money,  and  also  of  the  laws  and 
votes  of  that  province. 

To  his  printing-house  he  added  a  small  sta 
tioner's  shop,  which  increased  his  profits.  He 
now  began  to  pay  off  the  debt  he  had  incurred 
for  the  printing-house. 

This  prosperity  came  from  hard  work,  honesty 
and  frugality,  and  a  spirit  of  enterprise,  which 
characterized  all  his  transactions.  He  took  pains, 
in  order  to  secure  his  credit  and  character  as  a 
tradesman,  not  only  to  be  industrious  and  frugal, 
but  to  appear  so. 


110  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

"  I  dressed  plain,"  he  says,  "  and  was  seen  at  no  places  of 
idle  diversion.  I  never  went  out  a  fishing  or  shooting;  a 
book,  indeed,  sometimes  debauched  me  from  my  work,  but 
that  was  seldom,  was  private,  and  gave  no  scandal ;  and,  to 
show  that  I  was  not  above  my  business,  I  sometimes  brought 
home  the  paper  I  purchased  at  the  stores,  through  the  streets, 
on  a  wheelbarrow.  Thus,  being  esteemed  an  industrious, 
thriving  young  man,  and  paying  duly  for  what  I  bought,  the 
merchants  who  imported  stationery  solicited  my  custom; 
others  proposed  supplying  me  with  books,  and  I  went  on 
prosperously.  In  the  meantime,  Keimer's  credit  and  busi 
ness  declining  daily,  he  was  at  last  forced  to  sell  his  printing- 
house  to  satisfy  his  creditors.  He  went  to  Barbadoes,  and 
there  lived  some  years,  in  very  poor  circumstances." 

Keimer's  apprentice,  David  Harry,  bought  his 
materials,  and  set  up  business.  Franklin  feared 
a  powerful  rival,  and  proposed  a  partnership, 
which  offer  was  scornfully  declined,  fortunately 
for  him. 

"He  was,"  says  Franklin,  "very  proud,  dressed  like  a 
gentleman,  lived  expensively,  took  much  diversion  and 
pleasure  abroad,  ran  in  debt,  and  neglected  his  business; 
upon  which  all  business  left  him ;  and,  finding  nothing  to  do, 
he  followed  his  old  master  to  Barbadoes,  taking  the  printing- 
house  with  him.  There  this  apprentice  employed  his  for 
mer  master  as  a  journeyman;  they  quarrelled  often,  and 
Harry  went  continually  behindhand;  and  at  length  was 
obliged  to  sell  his  types,  and  return  to  country  work  in  Penn 
sylvania." 

Franklin  had  now  but  one  rival,  old  Mr.  Brad 
ford  ;  but  this  rival  was  rich  and  easy,  attending 
to  his  business  with  a  slack  hand,  having  however, 
one  important  advantage  over  his  young  compet- 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  Ill 

itor,  he  held  the  post-office.  This  was  thought 
to  give  him  special  facilities  for  obtaining  news, 
and  for  circulating  advertisements.  Franklin 
did  not,  indeed,  depend  wholly  on  private  means 
for  distributing  his  paper ;  he  received  and  sent 
papers  by  the  post,  bribing  the  post-riders,  who 
took  them  without  Bradford's  knowledge  ;  but 
the  public  did  not  understand  this.  Bradford's 
meanness  in  forbidding  him  the  use  of  the  post- 
office  awakened  Franklin's  resentment ;  but  he 
says':  "I  thought  so  meanly  of  the  practice 
that,  when  I  afterwards  came  into  his  situation, 
I  took  care  never  to  imitate  it;"  a  golden 
revenge. 

His  thoughts  were  now  turned  to  matrimony ; 
in  the  first  place,  by  a  match-maker,  no  other 
than  Mrs.  Godfrey.  She  thought  it  high  time 
the  promising  young  printer  and  editor  was  mar 
ried,  and  kindly  undertook  to  manage  a  match 
with  a  relative  of  hers,  a  "  deserving  girl ; "  and, 
as  Mrs.  Godfrey  took  frequent  opportunities  of 
bringing  them  together,  the  courtship  became 
quite  a  serious  affair.  The  old  folks  encouraged 
him  onward  by  often  inviting  him  to  supper, 
and  then  leaving  the  couple  together.  Franklin 
found  it  was  time  to  explain.  He  was  not,  it 
would  appear,  disinclined  to  an  engagement, 
but  his  passion  was  not  so  fervent  as  to  ex 
clude  prudential  considerations.  He  had  an  in 
terview  with  good  Mrs.  Godfrey,  and  let  her 
know  the  terms  and  conditions  of  marriage. 
He  was  in  debt  for  the  printing-house  a  hundred 


112  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

pounds.  He  would  expect  from  the  parents  of 
the  lady  that  sum.  Mrs.  Godfrey  bore  the  mes 
sage  to  the  parties  concerned,  who  returned  word 
that  they  had  no  such  sum  to  spare.  Franklin 
sent  a  second  message  ;  they  could  mortgage 
their  house  in  the  loan-office.  Some  days  passed 
before  an  answer  came  to  this  proposal,  and  it 
was,  that  they  did  not  approve  the  match ;  they 
had  made  inquiry  of .  Bradford,  who  informed 
them  that  the  printing-business  was  not  a  profit 
able  one  ;  that  the  types  would  soon  wear  out, 
and  more  would  be  wanted";  and  that  Keimer  and 
Harry  had  failed,  one  after  the  other,  a  fate  that 
would  probably  soon  overtake  Franklin.  The 
result  was,  he  was  forbidden  the  house,  and  the 
daughter  was  shut  up.  Thus  ended  the  affair, 
much  to  Franklin's  disgust ;  though  Mrs.  Godfrey 
afterwards  brought  more  favorable  accounts  of  the 
disposition  of  the  parents,  and  sought  to  draw 
him  on  again.  He  declared  positively,  however, 
that  he  would  have  nothing  more  to  do  with  the 
family.  This  awakened  the  ire  of  the  Godfreys, 
who  soon  quit  the  house  ;  and  Franklin  pru 
dently  resolved  to  take  no  more  inmates. 

But  his  mind  had  now  been  turned  toward 
marriage,  and  he  looked  about  him  for  a  suitable 
helpmate,  and  made  overtures  in  several  direc 
tions,  but  without  success.  His  business  was 
thought  a  poor  one.  He  might,  indeed,  have 
found  a  wife  with  money,  which  he  deemed 
quite  desirable,  but  not  one  who  would  in  other 
respects  have  suited  him.  Parents  who  had 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FBANKLIN.  113 

money  and  agreeable  daughters  seem  to  have 
looked  coldly  upon  his  advances. 

Pity,  it  is  said,  is  akin  to  love.  It  was  so  in 
Franklin's  case.  A  sense  of  the  great  wrong  he 
had  done  to  Miss  Read  moved  his  repentant 
heart  to  commiserate  her  lonely  condition.  She 
was,  he  frankly  tells  us,  "  generally  dejected, 
seldom  cheerful,  and  avoided  company." 

Franklin  had  kept  up  his  acquaintance  with 
the  family,  and  had  often  been  invited  to  their 
house,  and  consulted  in  their  affairs.  He  now 
'considered  his  giddiness  and  inconstancy  when 
in  London  as  in  a  great  degree  the  cause  of  her 
unhappiness ;  "  though  the  mother,"  he  remarks, 
"  was  good  enough  to  think  the  fault  more  her 
own  than  mine,  as  she  had  prevented  our  marry 
ing  before  I  went  thither,  and  persuaded  the 
other  match  in  my  absence." 

Their  mutual  affection  was  revived ;  but  there 
were  now  great  objections  to  the  union.  The 
person  whom  she  had  married  was  perhaps  alive, 
and  though  he  was  said  to  have  a  previous  wife 
still  living  in  England,  yet  certainty  could  not 
be  arrived  at,  owing  to  the  distance.  Besides,  he 
had  left  debts  behind  him,  which,  in  case  of  his 
death,  Franklin  might  be  called  upon  to  pay. 
But  love  and  pity  triumphed  over  all  difficulties, 
and  they  were  married,  September  1st,  1730, 
when  he  was  nearly  twenty-five  years  of  age. 
"  Thus,"  says  Franklin,  "  I  corrected  that  great 
erratum  as  well  as  I  could."  The  marriage  was 
a  fortunate  one,  his  wife  proving  "  a  good  and 


114  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FKANKLIN. 

faithful  helpmate,"  assisting  him  much  by  attend 
ing  to  the  shop ;  and  there  being  a  mutual 
endeavor  to  make  each  other  happy. 

It  was  while  these  love  affairs  were  going  on, 
that  Franklin  wrote  to  his  sister  Jane,  now  Mrs. 
Mecom.  It  might  be  expected  that  he  would 
say  something  to  her  about  a  matter  which  so 
deeply  concerned  him,  but  he  was  silent;  and 
indeed,  nothing  was  then  settled.  But  he  men 
tioned  a  remedy  for  cancer,  a  disease,  which, 
"  is  often  thought  incurable." 

"Yet  we  have  here  in  town,"  he  writes,  "  a  kind  of  shell* 
made  of  some  wood,  cut  at  a  proper  time,  by  some  man  of 
great  skill  (as  they  say),  which  has  done  wonders  in  that 
disease  among  us,  being  worn  for  some  time  on  the  breast. 
I  am  not  apt  to  be  superstitiously  fond  of  believing  such 
things,  but  the  instances  are  so  well  attested  as  sufficiently 
to  convince  the  most  incredulous. 

"  This,  if  I  have  interest  enough  to  procure,  as  I  think  I 
have,  I  will  borrow  for  a  time,  and  send  it  to  you;  and  hope 
the  doctors  will  at  least  allow  the  experiment  to  be  tried." 

And  this  from  Benjamin  Franklin  !  But  then 
he  was  only  a  young  man  of  twenty-four. 

He  did  not  forget  his  parents : 

"You  have  mentioned,"  he  says,  "  nothing  in  your  letter 
of  our  dear  parents ;  but  I  conclude  they  are  well,  because 
you  say  nothing  to  the  contrary." 


LIFE  OP  BENJAMIN    FEANKLIN.  115 


CHAPTER  XV. 

Book-sellers. —  A  Library. —  Readers  of  Books  in 
Philadelphia  Public  Library. —  How  he  obtained 
Subscribers. — Standing  before  Kings. — Im 
proved  Circumstances. —  A  G-ood  Wife. — A 
China  Bowl  and  Silver  Spoon. — Form  of 
Prayer. —  Plan  of  Moral  Perfection. —  Cata 
logue  of  Moral  Virtues. — Speckled  Axe. — A 
Prayer. — Temperance  and  other  Virtues. —  On 
Humility.  —  On  Pride. —  (rood  Resolutions.  — 
A  United  Party  for  Virtue. — A  Creed. 

AT  the  time  Franklin  established  himself  in 
Philadelphia,  there  was  not  a  good  book-seller's 
shop  in  any  one  of  the  colonies  south  of  Boston. 

"  In  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  the  printers 
were  indeed,"  he  says,  "  stationers,  but  they 
sold  only  paper,  almanacs,  ballads,  and  a  'few 
common  school-books.  Those  who  loved  read 
ing  were  obliged  to  send  for  their  books  from 
England ;  the  members  of  the  Junto  had  each  a 
few." 

He  proposed  that  the  members  should  bring 
their  books  into  the  little  room  of  Mr.  Grace's, 
where  the  club  was  accustomed  to  meet,  that 
they  might  be  consulted  during  the  discussions, 
or  borrowed  to  read  at  home.  This  plan  contin 
ued  about  a  year,  and  was  then  given  up. 


116  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN. 

"  Finding,"  says  Franklin,  "  the  advantage  of 
this  little  collection,  I  proposed  to  render  the 
benefit  from  the  books  more  common,  by  com 
mencing  a  public  subscription  library," — his  first 
project  of  a  public  nature.  He  drew  up  a  plan 
and  rules,  which  he  had  put  in  the  form  of  arti 
cles  of  agreement  by  a  skillful  conveyancer. 
Each  subscriber  was  to  pay  down  a  certain  sum 
for  the  first  purchase  of  the  books,  and  an  an 
nual  contribution  for  increasing  them. 

"So  few,"  he  says,  "were  the  readers  at  that  time  in 
Philadelphia,  and  the  majority  of  us  so  poor,  that  I  was  not 
able  with  great  industry  to  find  more  than  fifty  persons, 
mostly  young  tradesmen,  willing  for  this  purpose  to  pay 
down  forty  shillings  each,  and  ten  shillings  per  annum. 
With  this  little  sum  we  began.  The  books  were  imported ; 
the  library  was  opened  one  day  in  the  week  for  lending  them 
to  the  subscribers,  on  their  promissory  notes  to  pay  double 
the  value  if  not  duly  returned.  The  institution  soon  mani 
fested  its  utility,  was  imitated  by  other  towns,  and  in  other 
provinces.  The  libraries  were  augmented  by  donations; 
reading  became  fashionable ;  some  people,  having  no  public 
amusements  to  direct  their  attention  from  study,  became 
better  acquainted  with  books ;  and  in  a  few  years  were  ob 
served  by  strangers  to  be  better  informed  and  more  intelli 
gent  than  people  of  the  same  rank  generally  are  in  their 
countries. 

"When  we  were  about  to  sign  the  above-mentioned 
articles,  which  were  binding  on  us,  our  heirs,  etc.,  for  fifty 
years,  Mr.  Brackden,  the  scrivener,  said  to  us,  'You  are 
youngmen,  but  it  is  scarcely  probable  that  any  of  you  will 
live  to  see  the  expiration  of  the  term  fixed  in  the  instru 
ment.'  A  number  of  us,  however,  are  yet  living,  fifty  three 
years  after,  in  1784;  but  the  instrument  was  after  a  few 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  117 

years  [in  1742]  rendered  null  by  a  charter  that  incorporated 
and  gave  perpetuity  to  the  company." 

Franklin's  name  stands  first  on  the  list  of  the 
persons  who  applied  for  the  charter.  The  li 
brary  is  at  present  one  of  the  largest  in  the 
country.  In  1789,  a  year  before  his  death,  a  spa 
cious  and  elegant  building  was  erected  to  con 
tain  it.  In  a  niche  in  front  is  a  marble  statue 
of  the  founder,  executed  in  Italy. 

Franklin's  peculiar  character  appears  in  the 
method  he  employed  to  obtain  subscriptions,  and 
in  his  remarks  about  it. 

"The  objections  and  reluctances  I  met  with,"  he  says, 
"  made  me  soon  feel  the  impropriety  of  presenting  one's  self 
as  the  proposer  of  any  useful  project,  that  might  be  supposed 
to  raise  one's  reputation  in  the  smallest  degree  above  that  of 
one's  neighbors,  where  one  has  need  of  their  assistance  to 
accomplish  that  project.  I  therefore  put  myself  as  much  as 
I  could  out  of  sight,  and  stated  it  as  a  scheme  of  a  number 
of  friends,  who  had  requested  me  to  go  about  and  propose  it 
to  such  as  they  thought  lovers  of  reading.  In  this  way  my 
affair  went  on  more  smoothly,  and  I  ever  after  practiced  it 
on  such  occasions;  and,  from  my  frequent  successes,  cap 
Heartily  recommend  it.  The  present  little  sacrifice  of  your 
vanity  will  afterward  be  amply  repaid.  If  it  remains  awhile 
uncertain  to  whom  the  merit  belongs,  some  one  more  vain  than 
yourself  may  be  encouraged  to  claim  it,  and  then  even  envy 
will  be  disposed  to  do  you  justice,  by  plucking  those  as 
sumed  feathers,  and  restoring  them  to  their  right  owner. 

"  This  library  afforded  the  means  of  improvement  by  con 
stant  study,  for  which  I  set  apart  an  hour  or  two  each  day ; 
and  thus  repaired  in  some  degree  the  loss  of  the  learned  ed 
ucation  my  father  once  intended  me  for.  Beading  was  the 


118  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN. 

only  amusement  I  allowed  myself.  I  spent  no  timts  n 
taverns,  games,  or  frolics  of  any  kind ;  and  my  industry  in 
my  business  continued  as  indefatigable  as  it  was  necessary. 
I  was  in  debt  for  my  printing-house ;  I  had  a  young  family 
coming  on  to  be  educated ;  and  I  had  two  competitors  to  con 
tend  with  for  business,  who  were  established  in  the  place 
before  me.  My  circumstances  however  grew  daily  eaiser. 
My  original  habits  of  frugality  continuing,  and  my  father 
having,  among  his  restrictions  to  me  when  a  boy,  frequently 
repeated  a  proverb  of  Solomon,  Seest  thou  a  man  diligent  in 
his  calling,  he  shall  stand  before  kings,  he  shall  not  stand  be 
fore  mean  men,  I  thence  considered  industiy  as  a  means  of 
obtaining  wealth  and  distinction,  which  encouraged  me; 
though  I  did  not  think  that  I  should  ever  literally  stand  be 
fore  kings,  which,  however,  has  since  happened ;  for  I  have 
stood  before  five,  and  even  had  the  honor  of  sitting  down 
with  one,  the  King  of  Denmark,  to  dinner. 

"We  have  an  English  proverb  that  says,  He  that  would 
thrive,  must  ask  his  wife.  It  was  lucky  for  me  that  I  had  one 
as  much  disposed  to  industry  and  frugality  as  myself.  She 
assisted  me  cheerfully  in  my  business,  folding  and  stitching 
pamphlets,  tending  shop,  purchasing  old  linen  rags  for  the 
paper-maker,  etc.  We  kept  no  idle  servants,  our  table  was 
plain  and  simple,  our  furniture  of  the  cheapest.  For  in 
stance,  my  breakfast  was  for  a  long  time  bread  and  milk  (no 
tea),  and  I  ate  it  out  of  a  two-penny  earthen  porringer,  with 
a  pewter  spoon.  But  mark  how  luxury  will  enter  families, 
and  make  progress,  in  spite  of  principle ;  being  called  one 
morning  to  breakfast,  I  found  it  in  a  China  bowl,  with  a 
spoon  of  silver !  They  had  been  bought  for  me  without  my 
knowledge  by  my  wife,  and  had  cost  her  the  enormous  sum 
of  three  and  twenty  shillings;  for  which  she  had  no  other 
excuse  or  apology  to  make,  but  that  she  thought  her  husband 
deserved  a  silver  spoon  and  China  bowl  as  well  as  any  of  his 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  119 

neighbors.  This  was  the  first  appearance  of  plate  and  China 
in  our  house;  which  afterwards,  in  a  course  of  years,  as  our 
wealth  increased,  augmented  gradually  and  several  hundred 
pounds  in  value." 

The  second  year  of  his  married  life  was 
brightened  by  a  joyful  event,  the  birth  of  a  son, 
and,  -as  it  proved,  the  only  son  by  this  marriage. 
He  was  named  Francis  Folger.  We  shall  have 
occasion  to  speak  again  of  this  boy. 

Some  years  before,  Franklin  had  composed  a 
small  liturgy,  or  form  of  prayer  ;  which  he  after 
wards  neglected.  He  now  returned  to  the  use 
of  it,  and  became  really  in  earnest  to  correct 
certain  bad  habits  in  which  he  had  indulged. 
The  prayer  was  as  follows : 

"  That  I  may  be  preserved  from  atheism,  impiety,  and 
profaneness,  and,  in  my  address  to  Thee,  carefully  avoid  ir 
reverence  and  ostentation,  formality  and  odious  hypocrisy, 

—  Kelp  me,  O  Father! 

"That  I  may  be  loyal  to  my  prince,  and  faithful  to  my 
country,  careful  for  its  good,  valiant  in  its  defence,  and 
obedient  to  its  laws,  abhorring  treason  as  much  as  tyranny, 

—  Help  me,  O  Father! 

"  That  I  may  to  those  above  me  be  dutiful,  humble  and 
submissive;  avoiding  pride,  disrespect,  and  contumacy, — 
Help  me,  O  Father! 

"That  I  may  to  those  below  me  be  gracious,  condescend 
ing,  and  forgiving,  using  clemency,  protecting  innocent  dis 
tress,  avoiding  cruelty,  harshness,  and  oppression,  insolence, 
and  unreasonable  severity,  —  Help  me,  O  Father ! 

"  That  I  may  refrain  from  calumny  and  detraction ;  that  I 
may  abhor  and  avoid  deceit  and  envy,  fraud,  flattery,  and 
hatred,  malice,  lying,  and  ingratitude, — Help  me,  O  Father  I 


120  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

"  That  I  may  be  sincere  in  friendship,  faithful  in  trust, 
and  impartial  in  judgment,  watchful  against  pride,  and 
against  anger  (that  momentary  madness), — Help  me,  0 
Father! 

"  That  I  may  be  just  in  all  my  dealings,  temperate  in  my 
pleasures,  full  of  candor  and  ingenuousness,  humanity,  and 
benevolence, — Help  me,  O  Father! 

"  That  I  may  be  grateful  to  my  benefactors,  and  generous 
to  my  friends,  exercising  charity  and  liberality  to  the  poor, 
and  pity  to  the  miserable, — Help  me,  O  Father! 

"  That  I  may  possess  integrity  and  evenness  of  mood,  res 
olution  in  difficulties,  and  fortitude  under  affliction ;  that  I 
may  be  punctual  in  performing  my  promises,  peaceable  and 
prudent  in  my  behavior, — Help  me,  O  Father ! 

"  That  I  may  have  tenderness  for  the  weak,  and  reverent 
respect  for  the  ancient;  that  I  may  be  kind  to  my  neighbors, 
good-natured  to  my  companions,  and  hospitable  to  strangers, 
—Help  me,  O  Father! 

"That  I  may  be  averse  to  craft  and  overreaching,  abhor, 
extortion,  perjury,  and  every  kind  of  wickedness, — Help  me, 
O  Father! 

"  That  I  may  be  honest  and  open-hearted,  gentle,  merci 
ful,  and  good,  cheerful  in  spirit,  rejoicing  in  the  good  of 
others, — Help  me,  O  Father! 

"  That  I  may  have  a  constant  regard  to  honor  and  probity 
that  I  may  possess  a  perfect  innocence  and  a  good  con 
science,  and  at  length  become  truly  virtuous  and  magnani 
mous,  — Help  me,  good  God:  help  me,  O  Father! 

"And,  forasmuch  as  ingratitude  is  one  of  the  most  odi 
ous  of  vices,  let  me  not  be  unmindful  gratefully  to  acknowl 
edge  the  favors  I  receive  from  Heaven. 

THANKS. 

"  For  peace  and  liberty,  for  food  and  raiment,  for  corn, 
and  wine,  and  milk,  and  every  kind  of  healthful  nourish 
ment, — Good  God,  I  thank  theel 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  121 

"  For  the  common  benefits  of  air  and  light;  for  useful  fire 
and  delicious  water, — Good  God,  I  thank  thee ! 

"For  knowledge,  and  literature  and  every  useful  art;  for 
my  friends  and  their  prosperity,  and  for  the  fewness  of  my 
enemies, — My  good  God,  I  thank  thee ! 

"For  all  thy  innumerable  benefits;  for  life,  and  reason, 
and  the  use  of  speech;  for  health,  and  joy,  and  every  pleas 
ant  hour,— Good  God,  I  thank  thee!" 

Indeed,  he  went  so  far  as  to  conceive  "  the 
bold  and  arduous  project  of  arriving  at  moral 
perfection" 

"I  wished,"  he  says,  "to  live  without  committing  any 
fault  at  any  time,  and  to  conquer  all  that  either  natural  in 
clination,  custom,  or  company,  might  lead  me  into.  As  I 
knew,  or  thought  I  knew,  what  was  right  and  wrong,  I  did 
not  see  why  I  might  not  always  do  the  one  and  avoid  the 
other.  But  I  soon  found,"  he  adds,  "I  had  undertaken  a 
task  of  more  difficulty  than  I  had  imagined.  While  my 
attention  was  taken  up,  and  care  employed  in  guarding 
against  one  fault,  I  was  often  surprised  by  another;  habit 
took  the  advantage  of  inattention;  inclination  was  some 
times  too  strong  for  reason.  I  concluded  at  length,  that  the 
mere  speculative  conviction  that  it  was  our  interest  to  be 
completely  virtuous,  was  not  sufficient  to  prevent  our  slip 
ping;  and  that  the  contraiy  habits  must  be  broken,  and 
good  ones  acquired  and  established,  before  we  can  have  any 
dependance  on  a  steady,  uniform  rectitude  of  conduct." 

He  therefore  formed  a  catalogue  of  the  moral 
virtues,  to  the  number  of  thirteen ;  Temperance, 
Silence,  Order,  Resolution,  Frugality,  Industry, 
Sincerity,  Justice,  Moderation,  Cleanliness,  Tran- 
quility,  Charity,  and  Humility.  He  resolved  to 
take  one  of  these  at  a  time,  proceeding  to 


122  LIFE  OP  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

another  when  he  had  become  master  of  what 
proceeded.  Order,  he  tells  us,  gave  him  the 
most  trouble. 

"I  had  not  been  early  accustomed  to  method;  and  this 
article,  therefore,  cost  me  much  painful  attention,  and  my 
faults  in  it  vexed  me  so  much,  and  I  made  so  little  progress 
in  amendment,  and  had  such  frequent  relapses,  that  I  was 
almost  ready  to  give  up  the  attempt,  and  content  myself 
with  a  faulty  character  in  that  respect.  Like  the  man,  who, 
in  buying  an  axe  of  a  smith,  my  neighbor,  desired  to  have 
the  whole  of  its  surface  as  bright  as  the  edge.  The  smith 
consented  to  grind  it  bright  for  him,  if  he  would  turn  the 
wheel ;  he  turned,  while  the  smith  pressed  the  broad  face  of 
the  axe  hard  and  heavily  on  the  stone,  which  made  the 
turning  of  it  very  fatiguing.  The  man  came  every  now 
and  then  from  the  wheel  to  see  how  the  work  went  on ;  and 
at  length  would  take  his  axe  as  it  was,  without  further 
grinding.  '  No,'  said  the  smith,  '  turn  on,  turn  on,  we  shall 
have  it  bright  by  and  by;  as  yet  it  is  only  speckled.'  'Yes,' 
said  the  man,  '  but  I  think  I  like  a  speckled  axe  best.'  And 
I  believe  this  may  have  been  the  case  with  many,  who,  hav 
ing  for  want  of  some  such  means  as  I  employed,  found  the 
difficulty  of  obtaining  good  and  breaking  bad  habits  in  other 
points  of  vice  and  virtue,  have  given  up  the  struggle,  and 
concluded  that  *  a  speckled  axe  is  best '." 

But  he  adds,  that,  though  he  fell  far  short  of 
the  perfection  he  was  ambitious  of  obtaining, 
yet,  by  the  endeavor,  he  was  a  better  and  a  hap 
pier  man  than  he  would  otherwise  have  been. 

To  aid  his  moral  improvement,  he  made  a 
little  book,  allotting  a  page  to  each  of  the 
virtues.  He  divided  each  page  with  red  ink 
into  seven  columns,  one  for  each  day  of  the 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 


123 


week,  crossing  these  columns  with  thirteen  red 
lines,  for  the  several  virtues,  which  were  writ 
ten  in  the  margin.  A  little  black  spot  marked 
every  fault  he  found  he  had  committed  respect 
ing  any  virtue  on  a  particular  day. 

(FOBM  OF  THE  PAGES.) 
TEMPERANCE. 


SUN. 

M. 

T. 

W. 

T. 

F. 

& 

TEN. 

SIL. 

* 

# 

* 

# 

OED. 

* 

* 

* 

* 

RES. 

* 

* 

FRU. 

* 

* 

IND. 

* 

* 

SING. 

JUS. 

MOD. 

CLEA. 

TEAN. 

CHAR. 

HUM. 

124  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

"Conceiving,"  he  says,  "God  to  be  the  fountain  of  wis 
dom,  I  thought  it  right  and  necessary  to  solicit  his  assistance 
for  obtaining  it;  to  this  end  I  formed  the  following  little 
prayer,  which  was  prefixed  to  my  tables  of  examination,  for 
daily  use : 

"  '  O  powerful  Goodness !  bountiful  Father !  merciful  Guide  I 
Increase  in  me  that  wisdom  which  discovers  my  truest  in 
terest.  Strengthen  my  resolution  to  perform  what  that  wis 
dom  dictates.  Accept  my  kind  offices  to  thy  other  children, 
as  the  only  retu'rn  in  my  power  for  thy  continual  favors 
to  me.' " 

Franklin  remarks,  that  in  undertaking  to 
carry  out  his  plan,  he  was  surprised  to  find  how 
much  fuller  of  faults  he  was  then  he  had  imag 
ined,  but  that  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
them  diminish. 

"It  maybe  well,"  he  added,  late  in  life,  "my  posterity 
should  be  informed  that  to  this  little  artifice,  with  the  bless 
ing  of  God,  their  ancestor  owed  the  constant  felicity  of  his 
life,  down  to  his  seventy-ninth  year,  in  which  this  is  writ 
ten.  What  reverses  may  attend  the  remainder  is  in  the 
hand  of  Providence ;  but,  if  they  arrive,  the  reflection  on  past 
happiness  enjoyed  ought  to  help  his  bearing  them  with  more 
resignation.  To  Temperance  he  ascribes  his  long  continued 
health,  and  what  is  still  left  to  him  of  a  good  constitution; 
to  Industry  and  Frugality,  the  early  easiness  of  his  circum 
stances  and  acquisition  of  his  fortune,  with  all  that  knowl 
edge  that  enabled  him  to  be  a  useful  citizen,  and  obtained 
for  him  some  degree  of  reputation  among  the  learned.  To 
Sincerity  and  Justice,  the  confidence  of  his  country,  and  the 
honorable  employs  it  conferred  upon  him ;  and  to  the  join 
influence  of  the  whole  mass  of  the  virtues,  even  in  the  im 
perfect  states  he  was  able  to  acquire  them,  all  that  evenness 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  125 

of  temper,  and  that  cheerfulness  in  conversation,  which 
makes  his  company  still  sought  for,  and  agreeahle  even  to 
his  young  acquaintances."  He  also  remarks  that  "no 
qualities  are  so  likely  to  make  a  poor  man's  fortune,  as 
those  of  proUty  and  integrity" 

The  last  virtue  in  his  list,  Humility,  was  added 
at  the  suggestion  of  a  Quaker  friend.  He 
"kindly"  told  Franklin  that  he  was  generally 
thought  proud,  that  his  pride  showed  itself  fre 
quently  in  conversation,  and  that  he  was  not 
content  with  being  in  the  right  when  discussing 
any  point,  but  was  overbearing  and  rather  inso 
lent,  of  which  several  instances  were  given. 

"  I  cannot  boast,"  he  says,  "  of  much  success  in  acquiring 
the  reality  of  this  virtue,  but  I  had  a  good  deal  with  regard 
to  the  appearance  of  it.  I  made  it  a  rule  to  forbear  all 
direct  contradiction  to  the  sentiments  of  others,  and  all  pos 
itive  assertion  of  my  own.  •  •  *  When  another  asserted 
something  that- 1  thought  an  error,  I  denied  myself  the 
pleasure  of  contradicting  him  abruptly,  and  of  showing  im 
mediately  some  absurdity  in  his  proposition ;  and  in  answer 
ing  I  began  by  observing,  that,  in  certain  cases  or  circum 
stances,  his  opinion  would  be  right,  but  in  the  present  case 
there  appeared  or  seemed  to  me  some  difference,  etc.  I  soon 
found  the  advantage  of  this  change  in  my  manner ;  the  con 
versations  I  engaged  in  went  on  more  pleasantly.  The 
modest  way  in  which  I  proposed  my  opinions,  procured 
them  a  readier  reception  and  less  contradiction ;  I  had  less 
mortification  when  I  was  found  to  be  in  the  wrong;  and  I 
more  easily  prevailed  with  others  to  give  up  their  mistakes 
and  join  with  me,  when  I  happened  to  be  in  the  right.  *  * 

"And  to  this  habit  (after  niy  character  of  integrity)  I 
think  it  principally  owing,  that  I  had  early  so  much  weight 


126  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

with  my  fellow*  citizens,  when  I  proposed  new  institutions 
or  alterations  in  the  old;  and  so  much  influence  in  public 
councils,  when  I  became  a  member ;  for  I  was  but  a  bad 
speaker,  never  eloquent,  subject  to  much  hesitation  in  my 
choice  of  words,  hardly  correct  in  language,  and  yet  I  gener 
ally  carried  my  point. 

" In  reality,"  he  adds,  "there  is  perhaps  no  one  of  our 
natural  passions  so  hard  to  subdue  as  Pride.  Disguise  it, 
struggle  with  it,  stifle  it,  mortify  it  as  much  as  one  pleases, 
it  is  still  alive,  and  will  every  now  and  then  peep  out  and 
show  itself;  you  will  see,  perhaps,  often  in  this  history. 
For,  even  if  I  could  conceive  that  I  had  completely  over 
come  it,  I  should  probably  be  proud  of  my  humility." 

To  the  plan  given  above  for  the  cultivation  of 
the  virtues,  may  properly  be  added  some  resolu 
tions  which  he  made  about  the  same  time,  to 
assist  him  in  living  "  in  all  respects  like  a  ra 
tional  creature :  " 

"  1.  It  is  necessary  for  me  to  be  extremely  frugal  for  some 
time,  till  I  have  paid  what  I  owe. 

"2.  To  endeavor  to  speak  truth  in  every  instance,  to  give 
nobody  expectations  that  are  not  likely  to  be  answered,  but 
aim  at  sincerity  in  every  word  and  action ;  the  most  amiable 
excellence  in  a  rational  being. 

"3.  To  apply  myself  industriously  to  whatever  business 
I  take  in  hand,  and  not  divert  my  mind  from  my  business 
by  any  foolish  project  of  suddenly  growing  rich ;  for  indus 
try  and  patience  are  the  surest  means  of  plenty. 

"4.  I  resolve  to  speak  ill  of  no  man  whatever,  not  even 
In  a  matter  of  truth;  but  rather  by  some  means  excuse  the 
faults  I  hear  charged  upon  others,  and,  upon  proper  occa 
sions,  speak  all  the  good  I  know  of  everybody." 

Franklin  not  only  formed  a  plan  for  personal 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  127 

improvement,  but  also  a  scheme  of  wider  scope, 
110  less  than  that  of  a  United  Party  for  Virtue. 
This  was  to  be  raised  by  "  forming  the  virtuous 
and  good  men  of  all  nations  into  a  regular  body, 
to  be  governed  by  suitable  good  and  wise  rules, 
which  good  and  wise  men  may  probably  be  more 
unanimous  in  their  obedience  to  than  common 
people  are  to  common  laws.  I  at  present  think," 
he  added,  "  that  whoever  attempts  this  aright, 
and  is  well  qualified,  cannot  fail  of  pleasing  God, 
and  of  meeting  with  success."  He  formed  a 
sort  of  creed,  containing  what  he  believed  to  be 
the  essentials  of  every  known  religion,  and  upon 
which  men  of  all  religious  faiths  might  unite. 
It  was  this : 

"  That  there  is  one  God,  who  made  all  things. 

"  That  he  governs  the  world  by  his  Providence. 

"That  he  ought  to  be  worshipped  by  adoration,  prayer, 
and  thanksgiving. 

"But  that  the  most  acceptable  service  to  God  is  doing 
good  to  man. 

"  That  the  soul  is  immortal. 

"  And  that  God  will  certainly  reward  virtue  and  punish 
vice,  either  here  or  hereafter." 

But  the  prosecution  of  the  grand  scheme  was 
postponed  from  time  to  time,  owing,  he  says,  to 
his  then  "  narrow  circumstances,  and  the  neces 
sity  he  was  under  of  sticking  to  his  business," 
and  afterwards  to  "multifarious  occupations, 
public  and  private  ;"  till  he  was  too  old  and  in 
firm  for  such  an  enterprise. 


128  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

Franklin  seems  to  have  forgotten  that  Jesus 
Christ  had  already  established  a  society  for  the 
promotion  of  piety  and  virtue,  designed  to  em 
brace  the  good  and  virtuous  of  all  nations  "in  a 
grand  brotherhood;  love  to  God  and  love  to 
man  being  its  sublime  principle. 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  129 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

Poor  Richard's  Almanac. — Address  to  the  Reader, 
—  Enigmatical  Prophecies.  —  Harangue  at  an 
Auction. 

FRANKLIN'S  fertile  brain  was  ever  devising 
some  new  scheme  of  practical  utility.  The  plan 
for  a  library  having  proved  successful,  he  com 
menced  the  next  year,  which  was  1732,  the  pub 
lication  of  an  almanac.  It  was  announced  as 
follows,  in  the  Pennsylvania  Gazette,  December 
19th,  1732 : 

"  Just  published,  for  1733,  An  Almanac,  containing  the 
Lunations,  Eclipses,  Planets'  Motions  and  Aspects,  Weather, 
Sun  and  Moon's  Rising  and  Setting,  High  Water,  &c. ;  be* 
sides  many  pleasant  and  witty  Verses,  Jests  and  Sayings ; 
Author's  Motive  of  Writing;  Prediction  of  the  Death  of  his 
Friend,  Mr.  Titan  Leeds;  Moon  no  Cuckold;  Bachelor's 
Folly;  Parson's  Wine,  and  Baker's  Pudding;  Short  Visits; 
Kings  and  Bears ;  New  Fashions ;  Game  for  Kisses ;  Kather- 
ine's  Love;  Different  Sentiments;  Signs  of  a  Tempest;  Death 
of  a  Fisherman;  Conjugal  Debate;  Men  and  Melons;  The 
Prodigal ;  Breakfast  in  Bed ;  Oyster  Lawsuit,  &c.  By  Rich 
ard  Saunders,  Philomat.  Printed  and  sold  by  B.  Franklin." 

It  was  first  published  under  the  name  of 
Richard  Saunders ,  and  was  continued  about 


130  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

twenty-six  years,   being    commonly  known   as 
Poor  Richard's  Almanac. 

" I  endeavored,"  says  Franklin,  "to  make  it  both  enter 
taining  and  useful,  and  it  accordingly  came  to  be  in  such 
demand  that  I  reaped  considerable  profit  from  it,  vending 
annually  nearly  ten  thousand." 

Three  editions  were  called  for  before  the  end 
of  January,  and  subsequently,  though  he  pub 
lished  a  larger  number  of  copies,  a  second  edition 
was  often  necessary  to  meet  the  demand.  The 
almanac  was  a  happy  hit.  It  was  a  cheap  vehi 
cle  for  conveying  instruction  to  the  common 
people,  who  then  bought  very  few  books.  The 
little  spaces  were  filled  with  proverbial  sen 
tences,  inculcating  industry  and  frugality  as  the 
means  of  procuring  a  competence,  and,  as  he 
says,  "thereby  securing  virtue;  it  being  more 
difficult  for  a  man  in  want  to  act  always  hon 
estly,  as  4  it  is  hard  for  an  empty  sack  to  stand 
upright.' " 

Instructive  hints  were  given  in  matters  of 
morality  and  religion. 

"And  be  not  thou  disturbed,"  the  author  says,  in  the 
almanac  of  1739,  "O  great  and  sober  reader,  if,  among  the 
many  serious  sentences  in  my  book,  thou  findest  me  trifling 
now  and  then,  and  talking  idly.  In  all  the  dishes  I  have 
hitherto  cooked  for  thee,  there  is  solid  meat  enough  for  thy 
money.  There  are  scraps  from  the  table  of  wisdom,  that 
will,  if  well  digested,  yield  strong  nourishment  for  the  mind. 
But  squeamish  stomachs  cannot  eat  without  pickles ;  which, 
it  is  true,  are  good  for  nothing  else,  but  they  provoke  an  ap 
petite.  The  vain  youth,  that  reads  my  almanac  for  the  sake 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  131 

of  an  idle  joke,  will,  perhaps,  meet  with  a  serious  reflection, 
that  he  may  the  ever  after  be  the  better  for." 

Take,  as  an  example  of  the  amusing  and  in 
structive,  one  of  his  "  Enigmatical  Prophecies, 
which  they  that  do  not  understand  cannot  well 
explain." 

"  Before  the  middle  of  this  year,  a  wind  at  N.  East  will 
arise,  during  which  the  water  of  the  sea  and  rivers  will  be  in 
such  a  manner  raised,  that  great  part  of  the  towns  of  Bos 
ton,  Newport,  New  York,  Philadelphia,  the  low  lands  of 
Maryland  and  Virginia,  and  the  town  of  Charleston  in  South 
Carolina,  will  be  under  water.  Happy  will  it  be  for  the  sugar 
and  salt  standing  in  the  cellars  of  those  places,  if  there  be 
tight  roofs  and  ceilings  overhead ;  otherwise,  without  being 
a  Conjuror,  a  man  may  easily  foretel  that  such  commodities 
will  receive  damage." 

In  the  next  number  appeared  the  following 
explanation : 

"The  water  of  the  sea  and  rivers  is  raised  in  vapors 
by  the  sun,  and  is  formed  into  clouds  in  the  air,  and 
thence  descends  in  rains.  Now,  where  there  is  rain  over 
head  (which  frequently  happens  when  the  wind  is  at  N.  E.), 
the  cities  and  places  on  the  earth  below  are  certainly  under 
water." 

In  the  almanac  of  1757,  appeared  a  kind  of 
summary  of  these  proverbs,  "  the  wisdom  of 
many  ages  and  nations,"  in  the  form  of  a 
harangue,  by  a  wise  old  man,  to  the  people  attend 
ing  an  auction.  Franklin  thought  that,  in  the 
form  of  a  connected  discourse,  this  condensed 
wisdom  might  make  a  greater  impression.  Nor 
was  he  disappointed.  The  piece  met  with  extra 


132  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FKANKLIN. 

ordinary  success.  It  was  copied  in  all  the  news 
papers  of  the  country,  w^as  reprinted  in  Great 
Britain,  on  a  large  sheet  of  paper,  to  be  stuck  up 
in  houses,  and  at  least  three  translations  were 
made  of  it  in  France,  where  great  numbers  were 
bought  by  the  clergy  and  gentry,  to  distribute 
gratis  among  their  poor  parishioners  and  tenants. 

"  In  Pennsylvania,"  says  Franklin,  "  as  it  discouraged 
useless  expense  in  foreign  superfluities,  some  thought  it  had 
its  share  of  influence  in  producing  that  growing  plenty  of 
money  which  was  observable  for  several  years  after  its  pub 
lication." 

The  word  Richard  was  not  retained  in  Du- 
bourg's  version,  it  signifying,  in  French,  a  rich 
man  ;  but  a  later  translation  entitled  the  piece 
La  Science  du  Bonhomme  Richard.  A  transla 
tion  into  modern  Greek  appeared  in  1833. 

The  work  was  ingeniously  introduced  as  fol 
lows  : 

"I  stopt  my  horse  lately  where  a  great  number  of  people 
were  collected  at  a  vendue  of  merchant  goods.  The  hour  of 
sale  not  being  come,  they  were  conversing  on  the  hardness 
of  the  times,  and  one  of  the  company  called  to  a  plain,  clean 
old  man,  with  white  locks,  '  Pray,  Father  Abraham,  what 
think  you  of  the  times  ?  Won't  these  heavy  taxes  quite  ruin 
the  country?  How  shall  we  be  ever  able  to  pay  them? 
What  would  you  advise  us  to?'  •  •  Father  Abraham 
stood  up  and  replied:  'If  ye'd  have  my  advice,  I'll  give  it 
you  in  short,  for  "A  word  to  the  wise  is  enough,"  and 
"  Many  words  won't  fill  a  bushel,"  as  Poor  Richard  says.' 
They  joined  in  desiring  him  to  speak  his  mind,  and  gather 
ing  round  him,  he  proceeded  as  follows: 

"  *  Friends,'  says  he,  *  and  neighbors,  the  taxes  are  indeed 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN.  133 

very  heavy,  and  if  those  laid  on  by  the  government  were  the 
only  ones  we  had  to  pay,  we  might  more  easily  discharge 
them;  but  we  have  many  others,  and  much  more  grievous 
to  some  of  us.  We  are  taxed  twice  as  much  by  our  Idleness, 
three  times  as  much  by  our  Pride,  and  four  times  as  much 
by  our  Folly,  and  from  these  taxes  the  commissioners  cannot 
ease  or  deliver  us  by  allowing  an  abatement. 

" '  However,  let  us  hearken  to  good  advice,  and  something 
may  be  done  for  us.  "  God  helps  them  that  help  themselves," 
as  Poor  Richard  says. 

"  *  I.  It  would  be  thought  a  hard  government  that  should 
tax  its  people  one-tenth  part  of  their  time,  to  be  employed 
with  service.  But  Idleness  taxes  many  of  us  much  more, 
if  we  reckon  all  that  is  spent  in  absolute  sloth,  or  doing  of 
nothing,  with  that  which  is  spent  in  idle  employments  or 
amusements,  that  amount  to  nothing.  Sloth,  by  bringing  on 
diseases,  absolutely  shortens  life.  "Sloth,  like  rust,  con 
sumes  faster  than  labor  wears,  while  the  used  key  is  always 
bright,"  as  Poor  Kichard  says.  How  much  more  than  is 
necessary  do  we  spend  in  sleep!  forgetting  that  "  The  sleep 
ing  fox  catches  no  poultry,"  and  "  There  will  be  sleeping 
enough  in  the  grave,"  as  Poor  Kichard  says. 

"'If  time  be,  of  all  things,  the  most  precious,  then 
"wasting  time  must  be,"  as  Poor  Richard  says,  "  the  great 
est  prodigality,"  since,  as  he  elsewhere  tells  us,  "Lost  time 
is  never  found  again,"  and  what  we  call  "  Time  enough, 
always  proves  little  enough."  Let  us  then  up  and  be  doing, 
and  doing  to  the  purpose ;  so  by  diligence  shall  we  do  more 
with  less  perplexity.  "  Sloth  makes  all  things  difficult,  but 
Industry  all  easy,"  as  Poor  Richard  says;  and  "He  that 
riseth  late  must  trot  all  day,  and  shall  scarce  overtake  his 
business  at  night."  "While  Laziness  travels  so  slowly  that 
Poverty  soon  overtakes  him,"  as  we  read  in  Poor  Richard; 
who  adds:  "Drive  the  business,  let  not  that  drive  thee;"  and 
"  Early  to  bed,  and  early  to  rise,  makes  a  man  healthy, 


134  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN. 

wealthy  and  wise,"  as  Poor  Eicliard  says. 

"  '  So  what  signifies  wishing  and  hoping  for  better  times  ? 
We  may  make  these  times  hetter  if  we  bestir  ourselves. 
"Industry  need  not  wish,"  as  Poor  Richard  says,  and  "He 
that  lives  upon  hope  will  die  fasting."  "  There  are  no  gains 
without  pains;"  then  "Help  hands,  for  I  have  no  lands," 
or,  if  I  have,  they  are  smartly  taxed.  And,  as  Poor  Rich 
ard  likewise  observes,  "  He  that  hath  a  trade  hath  an  estate," 
and  "He  that  hath  a  calling  hath  an  office  of  profit  and 
honor;"  but  then  the  trade  must  be  worked  at,  and  the  call 
ing  well  followed,  or  neither  the  estate  nor  the  office  will 
enable  us  to  pay  our  taxes.  If  we  are  industrious  we  shall 
never  starve;  for,  as  Poor  Richard  says,  "At  the  working- 
man's  home  hunger  looks  in,  but  dares  not  enter."  •  •  • 
Work  while  it  is  called  To-day,  for  you  know  not  how  much 
you  may  be  hindered  to-morrow,  which  makes  Poor  Richard 
say:  "One  to-day  is  worth  two  to-morrows ;"  and,  farther, 
"  Have  you  somewhat  to  do  to-morrow  ?  Do  it  to-day."  If 
you  were  a  servant,  would  you  not  be  ashamed  that  a  good 
master  should  catch  you  idle?  Are  you  then  your  own  mas 
ter?  "Be  ashamed  to  catch  yourself  idle,"  as  Poor  Dick 
says.  When  there  is  so  much  to  be  done  for  yourself,  your 
family,  your  country,  be  up  by  peep  of  day:  "Let  not  the 
Sun  look  down  and  say,  Inglorious  here  he  lies  I"  Handle 
your  tools  without  mittens;  remember  that  "The  cat  in 
gloves  catches  no  mice,"  as  Poor  Richard  says.  'Tis  true 
there  is  much  to  be  done,  and  perhaps  you  are  weak-handed; 
but  stick  to  it  steadily,  and  you  will  see  great  effects,  for 
"  Continual  dropping  wears  away  stones,"  and  "  By  diligence 
and  patience  the  mouse  ate  in  two  the  cable;  "  and  "Little 
strokes  fell  great  oaks,"  as  Poor  Richard  says  in  his  alma 
nack,  the  year  I  cannot  just  now  remember.  Methinks  I 
hear  some  of  you  say,  "  Must  a  man  afford  himself  no  lei 
sure  ?  "  I  will  tell  thee,  my  friend,  what  Poor  Richard  says : 
"Employ  thy  time  well,  if  thou  meanest  to  gain  leisure;  and 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  135 

since  thou  art  not  sure  of  a  minute,  throw  not  away  an 
hour."  Leisure  is  time  for  doing  something  useful;  this 
leisure  the  diligen^man  will  obtain,  but  the  lazy  man  never; 
for  "A  life  of  laziness  and  a  life  of  leisure  are  two  things." 
"Many  without  labor  would  live  by  their  wits  only,  but 
they  break  for  want  of  stock; "  whereas  industry  gives  com 
fort,  and  plenty,  and  respect.  "  Fly  pleasures,  and  they  will 
follow  you."  "The  diligent  spinner  has  a  large  shift,  and 
now  I  have  a  sheep  and  a  cow,  everybody  bids  me  good 
morrow." 

"  « II.  But  with  our  Industry,  we  must  likewise  be  steady, 
settled  and  careful,  and  oversee  our  own  affairs  with  our  own 
eyes,  and  not  trust  too  much  to  others ;  for,  as  Poor  Richard 
says: 

"  I  never  saw  an  oft-removed  tree, 
Nor  yet  an  oft-removed  family, 
That  throve  so  well  as  those  that  settled  be." 
And  again:    "Three  removes  are  as  bad  as  a  fire;"    and 
again,  "Keep  thy  shop,  and  thy  shop  will  keep  thee;"  and 
again,  "If  you  would  have  your  business  done,  go;  if  not, 
send."    And  again: 

"  He  that  by  the  plough  would  thrive, 
Himself  must  either  hold  or  drive." 

And  again,  "The  eye  of  a  master  will  do  more  work  than 
both  his  hands;"  and  again,  "Want  of  care  does  us  more 
damage  than  want  of  knowledge;"  and  again,  "  Not  to  over 
see  workmen  is  to  leave  them  your  purse  open."  Trusting 
too  much  to  others'  care  is  the  ruin  of  many;  for  "  In.  the 
affairs  of  this  world  men  are  saved,  not  by  faith,  but  by  the 
want  of  it; "  but  a  man's  own  care  is  profitable,  for  "  If  you 
would  have  a  faithful  servant,  and  one  that  you  like,  serve 
yourself."  "A  little  neglect  may  breed  great  mischief;  for 
want  of  a  nail  the  shoe  was  lost ;  for  want  of  a  shoe  the 
horse  was  lost;  and  for  want  of  ahorse  the  rider  was  lost, 
being  overtaken  and  slain  by  the  enemy,  all  for  want  of  a 
little  care  about  a  horse-shoe  nail." 


136  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN. 

"  *  III.   So  much  for  industry,  my  friends,  and  attention 
to  one's  own  business;  but  to  these  we  must  add  Frugality, 
if  we  would  make  our  industry  more  certainly  successful. 
A  man  may,  if  he  knows  not  how  to  save  as  he  gets,  keep 
his  nose  all  his  life  to  the  grindstone,  and  die  not  worth  a 
groat  at  last.     "A  fat  kitchen  makes  a  lean  mill; "  and 
"Many  estates  are  spent  in  the  getting, 
Since  women  for  tea  forsook  spinning  and  knitting, 
And  men  for  punch  forsook  hewing  and  splitting." 

"' And  further,  "What  maintains  one  vice  would  bring 
up  two  children."  •  •  •  •  Beware  of  little  expenses; 
"  A  small  leak  will  sink  a  great  ship,"  as  Poor  Eichard  says, 

•  *  *  and,  moreover,  "  Fools  make  feasts,  and  wise  men 
eat  them." 

"  'Here  you  are  all  got  together  at  this  vendue  of  fineries 
and  knicknacks.  You  call  them  goods,  but  if  you  do  not 
take  care,  they  will  prove  evils  to  some  of  you.  You  expect 
they  will  be  sold  cheap,  and  perhaps  they  may  for  less  than 
they  cost,  but  if  you  have  no  occasion  for  them,  they  must 
be  dear  to  you.  Kemember  what  Poor  Ei chard  says:  " Buy 
what  thou  hast  no  need  of,  and  ere  long  thou  shalt  sell  thy 
necessaries;"  and  again,  "At  a  great  pennyworth  pause 
awhile."  •  •  •  "Silks  and  satins,  scarlet  and  velvets, 
have  put  out  the  kitchen  fire,"  as  Poor  Eichard  says.  •  • 
And  again,  "  Pride  is  as  loud  a  beggar  as  want,  and  a  great 
deal  more  saucy.  •  •  •  •  Pride  that  dines  on  vanity, 
sups  on  contempt,"  as  Poor  Eichard  says.  And,  in  another 
place,  "Pride  breakfasted  with  plenty,  dined  with  poverty, 
and  supped  with  infamy."  •  •  •  • 

*  *  But  what  madness  it  must  be  to  run  in  debt  for  these 
superfluities.  We  are  offered  by  the  terms  of  this  vendue, 
six  months'  credit;  •  •  •  •  but,  ah!  think  what  you  do 
when  you  run  in  debt.  You  give  to  another  power  ovei 
your  liberty.  If  you  cannot  pay  at  the  time,  you  will  be 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  137 

ashamed  to  see  your  creditor;  you  will  be  in  fear  when  you 
speak  to  him ;  you  will  make  poor,  pitiful,  sneaking  excuses, 
and  by  degrees  come  to  lose  your  veracity,  and  sink  into 
base,  downright  lying;  for,  as  Poor  Richard  says,  "The  sec 
ond  vice  is  lying,  the  first  is  running  in  debt."  And  again, 
to  the  same  purpose,  "Lying  rides  upon  Debt's  back."  •  • 
But  poverty  often  deprives  a  man  of  all  spirit  and  virtue. 
"'Tis  hard  for  an  empty  bag  to  stand  upright,"  as  Poor 
Ri chard  says.  •  •  •  •  Then  since,  as  he  says,  "  The 
borrower  is  a  slave  to  the  lender,  and  the  debtor  to  the  cred 
itor,"  disdain  the  claim,  preserve  your  freedom,  and  main 
tain  your  independency.  Be  industrious  and  free ;  be  frugal 
and  free.  '  '  '  Gain  may  be  temporary  and  uncertain, 
but  ever  while  you  live,  expense  is  constant  and  certain,  and 
"'Tis  easier  to  build  two  chimneys,  than  to  keep  one  in 
fuel,"  as  Poor  Eichard  says.  So,  "  Rather  go  to  bed  supper- 
less,  than  rise  in  debt." 

"  'This  doctrine,  my  friends,  is  reason  and  wisdom;  but, 
after  all,  do  not  depend  too  much  upon  your  own  industry, 
and  frugality,  and  prudence,  though  excellent  things;  for 
they  may  all  be  blasted,  without  the  blessing  of  Heaven; 
and  therefore,  ask  that  blessing  humbly,  and  be  not  unchar 
itable  to  those  that  at  present  seem  to  want  it,  but  comfort 
and  help  them.  Remember,  Job  suffered,  and  was  after 
wards  prosperous. 

"'And  now,  to  conclude:  "Experience  keeps  a  dear 
school,  but  fools  will  learn  in  no  other,"  as  Poor  Richard 
says:  and  scarce  in  that,  for  it  is  true  "We  may  give  advice, 
but  we  cannot  give  conduct."  However,  remember  this : 
"  They  that  will  not  be  counselled,  cannot  be  helped;"  and, 
further,  "If  you  will  not  hear  Reason,  she  will  surely  rap 
your  knuckles,"  as  Poor  Richard  says.' 

Thus  the  old  gentleman  ended  his  harangue.  The  people 
heard  it,  and  approved  the  doctrine,  and  —  immediately  prac 
ticed  the  contrary." 


138  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FBANKUN. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Employment  for  Woman.  — Establishes  a  Print 
ing-office  in  Charleston.  —  What  a  Woman  did. 
Foreign  Languages.  —  Playing  Chess.  —  The 
Study  of  Languages.  —  Visits  Boston.  —  Calls 
at  Newport.  — James  Franklin.  —  A  Reconcili 
ation.  —  Death  of  his  Son  Francis.  —  The 
Junto. — New  Clubs.  —  In  Public  Life. — Clerk 
of  the  Assembly,  — Subduing  a  Foe.  —  Becomes 
Deputy-Postmaster.  —  New  Prosperity.  —  His 
Newspaper.  —  Municipal  Improvements.  —  City 
Watch.  — Fire  Company. 

EVEN  when  a  young  man,  Franklin  was  a 
practical  philosopher,  and  introduced  or  sug 
gested  many  improvements  which  have  since 
been  widely  adopted.  The  providing  employ 
ment  for  women,  especially  for  young  women,  is 
a  subject  which  much  engages  the  attention  of 
philanthropists  and  social  scientists  in  our  time. 
But  Franklin  was  before  them.  In  1733  he  sent 
one  of  his  journeymen,  with  press  and  type,  to 
Charleston,  South  Carolina,  to  set  up  the  print 
ing  business,  on  an  agreement  that  he  was  to  re 
ceive  one-third  of  the  profits,  and  pay  one-third 
of  the  expense.  The  man  made  some  remit 
tances,  but  being  ignorant  of  keeping  accounts, 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  139 

never  gave  a  satisfactory  statement  of  the  busi 
ness. 

"On  his  decease,"  says  Franklin,  "the  business  was  con 
tinued  by  his  widow,  who,  being  born  and  bred  in  Holland, 
where,  as  I  have  been  informed,  the  knowledge  of  accounts 
makes  a  part  of  female  education,  she  not  only  sent  me  as 
clear  a  statement  as  she  could  find  of  the  transactions  past, 
but  continued  to  account,  with  the  greatest  regularity  and 
exactness,  every  quarter  afterwards ;  and  managed  the  busi 
ness  with  such  success,  that  she  not  only  reputably  brought 
up  a  family  of  children,  but,  at  the  expiration  of  the  term, 
was  able  to  purchase  of  me  the  printing-house,  and  establish 
her  son  in  it. 

"I  mention  this  affair,"  he  adds,  "chiefly  for  the  sake  of 
recommending  that  branch  of  education  for  our  young  wo 
men,  as  likely  to  be  of  more  use  to  them  and  their  children, 
in  case  of  widowhood,  than  either  music  or  dancing." 

The  same  year,  he  entered  upon  the  study  of 
foreign  languages.  He  was  soon  able  to  read 
French  with  facility,  and  then  he  commenced 
Italian,  with  a  friend.  This  friend  was  fond  of 
chess,  and  used  to  tempt  Franklin  to  play  with 
him.  Finding  this  took  up  too  much  of  the 
time  he  had  to  spare  for  study,  he  refused  to 
play  any  more,  "  unless  the  victor,  in  every  game, 
should  have  a  right  to  impose  a  task,  either  of 
parts  of  the  grammar  to  be  got  by  heart,  or  in 
translations  ;  which  task  the  vanquished  was  to 
perform,  upon  honor,  before  our  next  meeting. 
As  we  played  pretty  equally,"  he  adds,  "  we 
thus  beat  one  another  in  that  to  language." 

With  a  "  little  pains-taking,"  he  also  made 
himself  familiar  with  Spanish. 


140  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

Already,  when  very  young,  he  had  had  a 
year's  instruction  in  Latin,  but  afterwards  had 
entirely  neglected  that  language.  His  acquisi 
tion  of  French,  Italian  and  Spanish  now  led  him 
to  look  over  a  Latin  Testament,  to  ascertain 
how  much  he  knew  of  that  tongue.  To  his  sur 
prise  he  understood  much  more  of  it  than  he  ex 
pected,  and  he  was  encouraged  to  apply  himself 
again  to  the  study  of  it,  and  with  the  more 
success,  from  the  preceding  languages  having 
greatly  smoothed  the  way. 

His  experience  in  these  studies  led  him  to 
make  a  suggestion,  upon  which  many  in  our  day 
are  inclined  to  act,  whether  as  teachers. or  in 
personal  study.  It  was,  that  instead  of  begin 
ning  with  Latin,  the  study  of  which  was  sup 
posed  to  render  easier  the  attainment  of  modern 
languages,  but  which  afterward  was  often  neg 
lected,  we  should  rather  begin  with  the  French, 
and  then  advance  to  the  Italian  and  Latin. 

"For  though,"  he  says,  "after  spending  the  same  time 
they  should  quit  the  study  of  languages,  and  never  arrive  at 
the  Latin,  they  would,  however,  have  acquired  another 
tongue  or  two,  that,  being  in  modern  use,  might  be  service 
able  to  them  in  modern  life." 

In  the  year  1734,  ten  years  after  his  visit  to 
Boston,  at  the  advice  of  Gov.  Keith,  he  made  a 
journey  thither  to  visit  his  relations.  He  was 
now  in  easier  circumstances,  and  was  able  to 
fulfil  his  long  cherished  purpose.  On  his  way 
he  called  at  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  to  see  his 
brother  James,  who  had  removed  his  press  to 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  141 

that  town.  Years  and  sickness  seem  to  have 
mellowed  the  heart  of  the  elder  brother,  for 
James  was  fast  declining  in  health,  and  the 
meeting  was  cordial  and  affectionate.  It  was 
now  Benjamin's  turn  to  do  a  favor,  which  his 
brother  requested  of  him,  namely,  to  take  home 
his  son,  then  a  lad  of  ten  years,  and  bring  him 
up  to  the  printing  business.  Franklin  accepted 
the  trust,  and  went  beyond  his  promise,  for  he 
sent  his  nephew  to  school  a  few  years  before  he 
took  him  into  the  office.  And  when  he  was 
grown  up,  and  was  to  return  to  Newport  to  take 
charge  of  the  business,  which  his  mother  had 
kept  up  during  his  minority,  Franklin  furnished 
him  an  assortment  of  new  types.  It  was  noble 
to  show  such  kindness  to  one  who  had  greatly 
wronged  him  and  treated  him  in  a  manner  most 
unbrotherly,  and  even  to  regard  himself  as  his 
debtor;  for  "  thus  it  was,"  he  says,  "that  I 
made  my  brother  ample  amends  for  the  service  I 
had  deprived  him  of  by  leaving  him  so  early." 

Franklin  has  left  110  account  of  his  visit  at 
Boston.  He  had  now  no  apologies  to  make,  and 
no  favors  to  ask.  By  invincible  industry  he  had 
conquered  every  difficulty,  and  won  his  way  to 
independence,  and  to  the  consideration  of  his 
fellow-men.  He  was  now  twenty-eight  years  of 
age,  a  married  man,  a  father,  an  influential  citi 
zen.  It  would  be  pleasant  if  he  had  told  us 
something  about  his  reception  at  his  former 
home,  and  had  given  us  some  of  his  reflections 
upon  men  and  things  in  the  old  Puritan  town. 


142  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

Probably  his  stay  was  short,  for  Franklin  was 
not  a  man  to  waste  time,  even  among  friends, 
when  business  at  home  needed  his  personal 
attention. 

In  the  year  1736,  six  years  after  his  marriage, 
the  joy  which  had  gladdened  his  household  for 
four  years  was  turned  to  bitterness.  Little 
Francis,  the  only  son  of  Benjamin  and  Deborah, 
ua  fine  boy,"  "the  delight  of  all  that  knew 
him,"  died  of  the  small-pox.  "  I  long  regretted 
him  bitterly,"  says  Franklin;  and  thirty-six  years 
after  the  event,  he  wrote  to  his  sister  Jane  :  "  To 
this  day  I  cannot  think  of  him  without  a  sigh." 
Franklin  was  no  sentimentalist,  as  everybody 
knows,  but  neither  was  he  the  stoic  that  some 
have  perhaps  taken  him  to  be.  He  had  trained 
himself  to  be  calm  and  collected,  to  endure  with 
equanimity  the  trials  that  come  to  a  man  in  the 
affairs  of  business,  and  the  conflicts  of  the  world; 
but  he  had  a  tender  heart,  and  such  a  sorrow  as 
this  which  befell  him  left  a  wound  that  never 
healed.  Perhaps  this  was  sent  to  counteract  the 
materialistic  tendencies  of  certain  opinions  which 
he  had  taken  up.  The  memory  of  that  dead 
child  of  his  love  may  have  been  an  inspiration 
and  a  guide  in  after  years  beyond  all  his  philos 
ophy. 

The  Junto,  of  which  mention  has  already  been 
made,  was  intended  to  be  known  only  to  the 
members,  twelve  in  number,  in  order  to  prevent 
application  of  improper  persons  for  admittance. 
But  the  club  "  was  found  so  useful,  and  afforded 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  143 

such  satisfactioD  to  the  members,  that  some  were 
desirous  of  introducing  their  friends."  Franklin 
opposed  this,  but  suggested  another  plan,  that 
each  member  should  endeavor  to  form  a  subor 
dinate  club,  without  disclosing  its  connection  with 
the  Junto.  Thus  so  many  more  young  citizens 
would  be  benefited ;  the  members  of  the  Junto 
would  be  better  informed  of  the  general  senti 
ments  of  the  people  on  any  occasion ;  their  par 
ticular  interests  in  business  would  be  promoted 
by  more  extensive  recommendation  ;  and  their 
influence  in  public  affairs  increased,  as  well  as 
their  power  of  doing  good  by  speading  through 
the  several  clubs  the  sentiments  of  the  Junto. 

The  project  was  approved,  but  only  five  or  six 
clubs  were  formed,  bearing  such  names  as  The 
Vine,  The  Union,  The  Band.  They  benefited 
the  members,  and  afforded  to  the  original  Junto 
a  great  deal  of  information  and  amusement,  each 
member  having  to  report  to  the  Junto  what 
passed  at  his  separate  club. 

Franklin  now  began  to  make  his  first  appear 
ance  in  public  life.  In  1736,  being  thirty-one 
years  of  age,  he  was  unanimously  chosen  Clerk 
of  the  General  Assembly  of  Pennsylvania.  The 
next  year  there  was  a  slight  opposition  from  a 
new  member,  who  had  a  favorite  candidate 
whom  he  recommended  in  a  long  speech.  But 
Franklin  was  again  chosen.  The  office  was  quite 
a  desirable  one,  as,  besides  the  salary,  it  helped 
to  secure  the  public  printing.  Naturally,  there 
fore,  he  did  not  like  the  opposition  of  this  mem- 


144  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN. 

ber,  tk  who  was  a  gentleman  of  fortune  and  edu 
cation,  with  talents  that  were  likely  to  give  him , 
in  time,  great  influence  in  the  House." 

Franklin  took  a  characteristic  method  of  dis 
arming  his  opposition  and  gaining  his  friendship. 

"Having  heard,"  he  says,  "that  he  had  in  his  library  a 
certain  very  scarce  and  curious  book,  I  wrote  a  note  to  him, 
expressing  my  desire  of  perusing  that  book,  and  requesting 
that  he  would  do  me  the  favor  of  lending  it  to  me  for  a  few 
days.  He  sent  it  immediately,  and  I  returned  it  in  about  a 
week,  with  another  note,  expressing  strongly  the  sense  of 
the  favor.  When  we  next  met  in  the  House,  he  spoke  to  me, 
which  he  had  never  done  before,  and  with  great  civility;  and 
he  ever  after  manifested  a  readiness  to  serve  me  on  all  occa 
sions,  so  that  we  became  great  friends ;  and  our  friendship 
continued  to  his  death. 

"  This  is  another  instance,"  he  adds,  "  of  the  truth  of  an 
old  maxim  I  had  learned,  which  says,  '  He  that  has  once 
done  you  a  kindness  will  be  more  ready  to  do  you  another, 
than  he  whom  you  yourself  have  obliged.  And  it  shows 
how  much  more  profitable  it  is  prudently  to  remove,  than  to 
resent,  return  and  continue,  inimical  proceedings." 

In  1737  he  met  with  another  piece  of  good 
fortune,  or,  rather,  his  industry  and  integrity 
were  rewarded,  in  his  being  appointed  deputy- 
postmaster  at  Philadelphia.  Colonel  Spottswood, 
not  long  before  Governor  of  Virginia,  and  then 
Postmaster  General,  had  become  dissatisfied  with 
Mr.  Bradford,  for  his  carelessness  and  negligence 
in  keeping  and  rendering  his  accounts,  and  took 
away  his  commission.  Franklin  found  the  office 
of  great  advantage  ;  for,  though  the  salary  was 
small,  it  facilitated  the  correspondence  that  im 


LIFE  OP  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  145 

proved  his  newspaper,  increased  the  subscription 
list  and  the  number  of  advertisements,  and  thus 
afforded  him  a  considerable  income.  His  old  com 
petitor's  newspaper  declined,  though  Franklin 
disdained  to  imitate  his  predecessor's  meanness 
by  refusing  to  permit  his  papers  to  be  carried  by 
the  post-riders.  He  adds  that,  from  Mr.  Brad 
ford's  misfortune,  young  men  in  others'  employ 
may  learn  a  lesson  as  to  rendering  accounts  and 
making  remittances  with  great  clearness  and 
promptness.  The  character  thus  acquired  is 
"  the  most  powerful  of  all  recommendations  to 
new  employments  and  increase  of  business." 

It  was,  doubtless,  with  some  feeling  of  exulta 
tion  that  Franklin  inserted  the  following  notice 
in  his  newspaper: 

"October  27th,  1737. —Notice  is  hereby  given  that  the 
post-office  of  Philadelphia  is  now  kept  at  B.  Franklin's,  in 
Market  Street;  and  that  Henry  Pratt  is  appointed  Riding 
Postmaster  for  all  the  stages  between  Philadelphia  and  New 
port  in  Virginia,  who  sets  out  about  the  beginning  of  each 
month,  and  returns  in  twenty-four  days ;  by  whom  gentle 
men,  merchants  and  others,  may  have  their  letters  carefully 
conveyed,  and  business  faithfully  transacted,  he  having 
given  good  security  for  the  same  to  the  Honorable  Colonel 
Spottswood,  Postmaster-General  of  all  his  Majesty's  Domin 
ions  in  America." 

The  new  deputy  at  once  brought  order  out  of 
confusion,  and  introduced  important  improve 
ments.  An  advertisement,  dated  April  14, 1743, 
informed  the  public  that, 

"After  this  week,  the  northern  post  will  set  out  for  New 


146  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN. 

York  on  Thursdays,  at* three  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  till 
Christmas.  The  southern  post  sets  out  next  Monday  at  eight 
o'clock  for  Annapolis,  and  continues  going  every  fortnight 
during  the  summer  season." 

During  the  rest  of  the  season,  the  post  between 
Philadelphia  and  New  York  went  only  once  a 
fortnight. 

Franklin's  ingenious  public  spirit  now  began 
to  originate  municipal  improvements.  He  '-put 
his  thought  into  Philadelphia,  and  in  twenty -five 
years  organized  its  municipal  affairs,  its  education 
and  charity,  more  wisely  than  any  city  in  the 
world."  The  first  measure  he  attempted  was  the 
improvement  of  the  city- watch. 

"It  was  then  managed,"  he  says,  "by  the  constables  of 
the  respective  wards  in  turn;  the  constable  summoned  a 
number  of  housekeepers  to  attend  him  for  the  night.  Those 
who  chose  never  to  attend  paid  him  six  shillings  to  be  ex 
cused,  which  was  supposed  to  go  to  hiring  substitutes,  [but 
which  for  the  most  part  went  into  his  pockets ;]  and  the  con 
stable  for  a  little  drink  often  got  such  ragamuffins  about  him 
as  a  watch,  as  respectable  housekeepers  did  not  choose  to  mix 
with.  Walking  the  rounds,  too,  was  often  neglected,  and 
most  of  the  nights  spent  in  tippling.  I  thereupon  wrote  a 
paper  to  be  read  in  the  Junto,  representing  these  irregular 
ities,  but  insisting  more  particularly  on  the  inequality  of  the 
six  shilling  tax  of  the  constable;  si  nee  a  poor  widow  house 
keeper,  all  whose  property  to  be  guarded  by  the  watch  did 
not,  perhaps,  exceed  the  value  of  fifty  pounds,  paid  as  much 
as  the  wealthiest  merchant." 

Franklin  proposed  that  suitable  men  for  the 
duty  be  appointed,  and  paid  by  an  equitable  tax 


LIFE   OP   BENJAMIN    FKANKLIN.  147 

on  the  citizens,  which  plan  was  substantially 
adopted  after  a  few  years. 

About  this  time  (1737),  Franklin  wrote  a  pa 
per  for  the  Junto,  which  was  afterwards  pub 
lished,  on  accidents  by  fire.  This  resulted  soon 
after  in  the  formation  of  a  fire-company,  named 
The  Union  Fire  Company,  which  included,  also, 
mutual  assistance  in  removing  and  securing 
goods  when  in  danger.  Thirty  associates  were 
soon  found.  Each  member  was  required  to  keep 
always  in  good  order  a  certain  number  of  leath 
ern  buckets,  with  strong  bags  and  baskets  for 
packing  and  transporting  goods,  which  were  to 
be  brought  to  every  fire.  Once  a  month  a  social 
evening  was  spent  in  talking  over  the  subject  of 
fires,  and  their  management. 

The  benefit  of  this  organization  was  at  once  so 
apparent  that  one  fire  company  after  another 
sprung  up,  till  they  became  so  numerous  as  to 
include  -most  of  the  male  property-holders.  Fifty 
years  afterwards,  Franklin  and  one  other  person 
were  the  only  surviving  constituent  members  of 
the  Union  company. 

"  Tbe  fines,"  lie  then  remarked,  "  that  have  been  paid  by 
members  for  absence  at  the  monthly  meetings,  have  been  ap 
plied  to  the  purchase  of  fire-engines,  ladders,  fire-hooks  and 
other  useful  implements  for  each  company ;  so  that  I  question 
whether  there  is  a  city  in  the  world  better  provided  with  the 
means  of  putting  a  stop  to  beginning  conflagrations ;  and,  in 
fact,  since  these  institutions,  the  city  has  never  lost  by  fire 
more  than  one  or  two  houses  at  a  time ;  and  the  flames  have 
often  been  extinguished  before  the  house  in  which  they 
began  has  been  half -consumed." 


148  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

Greorge  Whitfield.  —  A  Meeting-house.  —  Orphan 
House  in  Georgia.  —  Franklin's  Pockets  Emp 
tied.  —  The  Quaker's  Reply.  —  Franklin's  In 
timacy  with  Whitfield.  —  Whitfield' 's  Voice.  — 
His  Old  and  New  Sermons. — Letter  to  Whit 
field. — Franklin's  Religious  Views. — Prosper 
ity  in  Business.  —  Views  of  Partnership.  — 
Franklin's  Store. — In  Boston. —  Dr.  Spence. — 
Electrical  Experiments.  —  Electrical  Kiss.  — 
Magical  Picture.  —  The  Conspirators.  —  Elec 
trical  Pic-nic.  —  Electricity  and  Lightning.  — 
His  Reputation  in  England.  —  The  Royal  So 
ciety. 

IN  the  year  1739,  that  remarkable  preacher, 
Rev.  George  Whitfield,  of  England,  arrived  in 
Philadelphia.  He  had  won  great  celebrity  in 
his  own  country  by  his  extraordinary  eloquence 
and  zeal.  In  Philadelphia  some  of  the  clergy 
received  him  coldly  and  refused  him  their  pul 
pits,  but  multitudes  of  all  denominations  flocked 
to  hear  him,  in  the  fields.  It  was  soon  proposed 
to  erect  a  building  in  which  he  might  preach, 
and  money  enough  for  the  purpose  was  at  once 
raised.  A  house  one  hundred  feet  long  and 
seventy  broad  was  in  a  short  time  finished,  the 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  149 

property  being  vested  in  trustees,  expressly  for 
the  use  of  any  preacher  of  any  religious  persuasion 
who  might  desire  to  say  something  to  the  people 
at  Philadelphia ;  "  so  that,"  says  Franklin,  "  even 
if  the  Mufti  of  Constantinople  were  to  send  a 
missionary  to  preach  Mahometanism  to  us,  he 
would  find  a  pulpit  at  his  service." 

Franklin  doubtless  had  a  hand  in  the  erection 
of  an  edifice  on  so  liberal  a  basis ;  and  the  inter 
est  which  we  may  readily  suppose  him  to  have 
taken  in  this  affair,  in  favor  of  free  speech 
against  the  narrowness  that  would  have  silenced 
Whitfield,  may  have  first  led  to  that  intimate 
friendship  which  existed  between  them  through 
life,  wholly  unlike  as  they  were  in  many  re 
spects,  and  especially  in  religious  doctrines. 
Whitfield  was  all  on  fire  with  religious  zeal,  and 
held  to  some  of  the  most  rigid  tenets  of  Calvin 
ism,  while  Franklin  was  a  calm  philosopher, 
who  thought  little  of  dogma  and  everything  of 
practical  morality.  It  is  to  the  credit  of  both 
that  they  could  be  sincere  mutual  friends,  each 
discerning  and  respecting  the  good  that  was  in 
the  other. 

Franklin  mentions  an  incident  which  shows 
this  preacher's  "  wonderful  power  over  the  hearts 
and  purses  of  his  hearers."  Whitfield,  during  a 
visit  to  Georgia,  formed  the  plan  of  an  Orphan 
House  to  be  established  in  that  colony,  and  on 
his  return  to  Philadelphia  he  solicited  contribu 
tions  in  aid  of  the  object.  Franklin,  while  ad 
miring  the  benevolence  of  the  design,  thought  it 


150  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

better  that  the  institution  be  established  in  Phil 
adelphia,  and  the  poor  children  brought  to  it 
from  Georgia,  which  plan,  in  his  opinion,  would 
be  attended  with  far  less  expense.  He  therefore 
refused  to  contribute  to  Mr.  Whitfield's  plan. 
But  the  philosopher  had  to  bow  to  the  preacher. 

"I  happened  soon  after,"  he  says,  " to  attend  one  of  his 
sermons,  in  the  course  of  which  I  perceived  he  intended  to 
finish  with  a  collection,  and  I  silently  resolved  he  should  get 
nothing  from  me.  I  had  in  my  pocket  a  handful  of  copper 
money,  three  or  four  silver  dollars,  and  five  pistoles  in  gold. 
As  he  proceeded  I  began  to  soften,  and  concluded  to  give 
the  copper.  Another  stroke  of  his  oratory  made  me 
ashamed  of  that,  and  determined  me  to  give  the  silver;  and 
he  finished  so  admirably,  that  I  emptied  my  pocket  wholly 
into  the  collector's  dish,  gold  and  all. 

"  At  this  sermon  there  was  also  one  of  our  club,  who, 
being  of  my  sentiments  respecting  the  building  in  Georgia, 
and  suspecting  a  collection  might  be  intended,  had  by  pre 
caution  emptied  his  pockets  before  he  came  from  home. 
Towards  the  conclusion  of  the  discourse,  however,  he  felt  a 
strong  inclination  to  give,  and  applied  to  a  neighbor,  who 
stood  near  him,  to  lend  him  some  money  for  the  purpose. 
The  request  was  fortunately  made  to  perhaps  the  only  man 
in  the  company,  who  had  the  firmness  not  to  be  affected  by 
the  preacher.  His  answer  was,  '  At  any  other  time,  friend 
Hopkins,  I  would  lend  to  thee  freely;  but  not  now;  for 
thee  seems  to  be  out  of  thy  right  senses.'  " 

Franklin  had  a  very  high  regard  for  Whitfield. 
u  He  is  a  good  man,  and  I  love  him,"  he  wrote 
to  his  brother. 

Franklin  gives  the  following  instance  of  the 
terms  on  which  they  stood. 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  151 

"  Upon  one  of  his  arrivals  from  England  at  Boston,  be 
wrote  to  me  that  he  should  come  soon  to  Philadelphia,  hut 
knew  not  where  he  could  lodge  when  there,  as  he  understood 
his  old  friend  and  host,  Mr.  Benezet,  was  removed  to  Ger- 
mantown.  My  answer  was,  '  You  know  my  house ;  if  you 
can  make  shift  with  its  scanty  accommodation,  you  will  be 
most  heartily  welcome.'  He  replied,  that  if  I  made  that 
kind  offer  for  Christ's  sake,  I  should  not  miss  of  a  reward. 
And  I  returned,  'Don't  let  me  be  mistaken;  it  was  not  for 
Christ's  sake,  but  for  your  sake.'" 

Which,  doubtless,  was  the  simple  fact,  Frank 
lin,  in  making  the  invitation,  thinking  only  of 
accommodating  his  friend. 

"Whitfield  had  a  loud  clear  voice,  and  articulated  his 
words  so  perfectly,"  says  Franklin,  "that  he  might  be  heard 
and  understood  at  a  great  distance.  He  preached  one  even 
ing  from  the  top  of  the  Court-house  steps,  which  are  in  the 
middle  of  Market  Street,  and  on  the  west  side  of  Second 
Street,  which  crosses  it  at  right  angles.  Both  streets  were 
filled  with  his  hearers  to  a  considerable  distance.  Being 
among  the  hindmost  in  Market  Street,  I  had  the  curiosity 
to  learn  how  far  he  could  be  heard,  by  retiring  backwards 
down  the  street  towards  the  river;  and  I  found  his  voice 
distinct  till  I  came  near  Front  street,  when  some  noise  in 
that  street  obscured  it.  Imagining  then  a  semicircle,  of 
which  my  distance  should  be  the  radius,  and  that  it  was 
filled  with  auditors,  to  each  of  whom  I  allowed  two  square 
feet,  I  computed  that  he  might  be  well  heard  by  more  than 
thirty  thousand.  This  reconciled  me  to  the  newspaper 
accounts  of  his  having  preached  to  twenty-five  thousand 
people  in  the  fields,  and  to  the  history  of  generals  harang 
uing  whole  armies,  of  which  I  had  sometimes  doubted. 

"  By  hearing  him  often  I  came  to  distinguish  easily  be 
tween  sermons  newly  composed,  and  those  which  he  had 


152  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN    FKANKLIN. 

often  preached  in  the  course  of  his  travels.  His  delivery  oi 
the  latter  was  so  improved  by  frequent  repetitions,  that 
every  accent,  every  emphasis,  every  modulation  of  voice, 
was  so  perfectly  well  tuned  and  well  placed,  that,  without 
being  interested  in  the  subject,  one  could  not  help  being 
pleased  with  the  discourse;  a  pleasure  of  much  the  same 
kind  with  that  received  from  an  excellent  piece  of  music." 

A  correspondence  seems  to  have  been  kept  up 
between  Franklin  and  Wliitfield.  In  1764,  the 
former  wrote  the  following  : 

"  Your  frequently  repeated  wishes  for  my  eternal  as  well 
as  my  temporal  happiness,  are  very  obliging,  and  I  can  only 
thank  you  for  them,  and  offer  you  mine  in  return.  I  have 
myself  no  doubt  that  I  shall  enjoy  as  much  of  both  as  is 
proper  for  me.  That  Being  who  gave  me  existence,  and 
through  almost  threescore  years  has  been  continually  shower 
ing  his  favors  upon  me,  whose  very  chastisements  have 
been  blessings  to  me,  can  I  doubt  that  he  loves  me?  And, 
if  he  loves  me,  can  I  doubt  that  he  will  go  on  to  take  care  of 
me,  not  only  here  but  hereafter?  This  to  some  may  seein 
presumption ;  to  me  it  appears  the  best  grounded  hope ;  hope 
of  the  future  built  on  experience  of  the  past." 

Franklin's  business  was  now  constantly  im 
proving.  He  printed  many  books,  most  of  them, 
it  appears,  theological ;  his  general  printing  in 
creased,  and  his  newspaper,  having  a  wide  circu 
lation,  being  almost  the  only  one  in  Pennsylva 
nia  and  the  neighboring  provinces,  had  now  be 
come  very  profitable. 

"I  experienced,"  he  says,  "the  truth  of  the  observation, 
that  after  getting  the  first  four  hundred  pounds,  it  is  more 
easy  to  get  the  second,  money  itself  being  of  a  prolific 
nature." 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  153 

He  established  several  of  his  workmen  in 
business  in  different  colonies,  on  the  same  prin 
ciple  of  partnership  that  had  succeeded  so  well 
in  South  Carolina.  An  agreement  of  this  kind 
existed  between  Franklin  and  James  Parker  at 
New  York,  for  many  years.  Most  of  the  part 
ners  did  well,  being  able,  at  the  end  of  the  term 
of  union,  which  was  six  years,  to  purchase  the 
tjrpes,  furnished  by  Franklin,  and  to  conduct 
business  for  themselves.  In  every  case  the  part 
nership  was  carried  on  and  ended  amicably, 
"owing,  I  think,"  says  Franklin,  " a  good  deal 
to  the  precaution  of  having  very  explicitly  set 
tled,  in  our  articles,  everything  to  be  done  by  or 
expected  from  each  partner,  so  that  there  was 
nothing  to  dispute ;  which  precaution,"  he  adds, 
"  1  would  recommend  to  all  who  enter  into  part 
nerships;  for,  whatever  esteem  partners  may 
have  for,  and  confidence  in,  each  other  at  the 
time  of  the  contract,  little  jealousies  and  dis 
gusts  may  arise,  with  ideas  of  inequality  in  the 
care  and  burden,  which  are  often  attended  with 
breach  of  friendship  and  of  the  connection ; 
perhaps  with  lawsuits  and  other  disagreeable 
consequences." 

It  was  about  this  time,  in  1742,  that  Franklin 
invented  "  an  open  stove  for  the  better  warming 
of  rooms,  and  at  the  same  time  saving  fuel," 
which  has  always  borne  his  name.  He  presented 
the  model  to  Mr.  Robert  Grace,  one  of  his  early 
friends,  who  had  an  iron-furnace,  and  who 
"  found  the  casting  of  the  plates  for  these  stoves 


154  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN. 

a  profitable  thing."  To  increase  the  demand, 
Franklin  wrote  and  published  a  pamphlet,  en 
titled,  An  Account  of  the  new-invented  Penn- 
sylvanian  Fire-places,  etc.  Governor  Thomas 
was  so  much  pleased  with  the  stove  as  to  offer 
Franklin  a  patent  for  the  sole  right  of  sale 
for  a  term  of  years ;  but,  he  says,  "I  declined 
it  from  a  principle  which  has  ever  weighed  with 
me  on  such  occasions,  viz.:  That  as  we  enjoy 
great  advantages  from  the  inventions  of  olkors, 
we  should  be  glad  of  an  opportunity  to  serve 
others  by  any  invention  of  ours;  and  this  we 
should  do  freely  and  generously" 

An  ironmonger  of  London,  having  read  Frank 
lin's  pamphlet,  published  it  as  his  own,  after  a 
few  changes,  and  taking  out  a  patent  of  the  in 
vention,  made  a  little  fortune  by  it. 

In  the  year  1746,  Franklin,  being  in  Boston, 
on  business  connected  probably  with  the  defense 
of  Philadelphia,  made  the  acquaintance  of  Dr. 
Spence,  recently  from  Scotland,  and  saw  him 
perform  some  electrical  experiments.  Electric 
ity  was  then  scarcely  a  science.  From  that 
time  it  was  destined  to  assume  a  new  dignity. 
Franklin's  curiosity  was  greatly  excited  by  what 
he  saw,  and,  on  his  return  to  Philadelphia,  he 
commenced  a  series  of  ingenious  experiments 
with  a  glass  tube  lately  received  from  London, 
which  awakened  universal  wonder.  Writing 
next  year  to  a  friend,  he  says :  "  I  never  was  be 
fore  engaged  in  any  study  that  so  totally  en 
grossed  my  attention  and  my  time,  as  this  has 


LITE    OF   BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  155 

lately  done ;  for  what  with  making  experiments 
when  I  can  be  alone,  and  repeating  them  to  niy 
friends  and  acquaintance,  who,  from  the  novelty 
of  the  thing,  come  continually  in  crowds  to  see 
them,  I  have,  during  some  months  past,  had 
little  leisure  for  anything  else."  Experiments 
that  seem  trite  to  us,  had  then  the  wonderful 
charm  of  novelty.  A  new  world  was  opened. 
"  We  light  candles  just  blown  out,"  says  Frank 
lin,  speaking  of  the  Ley  den  jar,  "  by  drawing  a 
spark  among  the  smoke,  between  the  wire  and 
snuffers.  We  represent  lightning,  by  passing 
the  wire  in  the  dark,  over  a  China  plate,  that 
has  gilt  flowers.  We  electrize  a  person  twenty 
or  more  times  running,  with  a  touch  of  the  fin 
ger  on  the  wire,  thus;  he  stands  on  wax. 
Give  him  the  electrized  bottle  in  his  hand. 
Touch  the  wire  with  your  finger,  and  then 
touch  his  hand  or  face  ;  there  are  sparks  every- 
time."  Franklin  got  up  an  "Electrical  Kiss," 
which  amused  everybody.  "  Let  A  and  B  stand 
on  wax,  or  A  on  wax,  and  B  on  the  floor ;  give 
one  of  them  the  electrized  phial  in  hand;  let 
the  other  take  hold  of  the  wire  ;  there  will  be  a 
small  spark  ;  but  when  their  lips  approach,  they 
will  be  struck  and  shocked."  He  invented  a 
"  Counterfeit  Spider,"  made  of  burnt  cork,  with 
legs  of  linen  thread,  and  a  grain  or  two  of  lead 
stuck  in  him,  to  give  him  more  weight,  and  by 
means  of  electricity,  he  made  him  spring  back 
and  forth,  "playing  with  his  legs  in  a  very  en 
tertaining  manner,  appearing  perfectly  alive  to 


156  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

persons  unacquainted."  With  becoming  loyalty 
to  science  and  King  George  the  second,  he  in 
vented  a  "  Magical  Picture."  There  was  a  large 
rnezzotinto  of  his  Majesty  with  a  frame  of  glass, 
having  a  little  movable  gilt  crown  on  his  head. 
The  picture  being  electrified,  whoever  took  hold 
of  the  frame  with  one  hand,  touching  its  inside 
gilding,  and  with  the  other  attempted  to  take 
off  the  crown,  would  receive  a  terrible  blow,  and 
fail  in  the  attempt.  "If,"  says  Franklin,  "  the 
picture  were  highly  charged,  the  consequence 
might  perhaps  be  as  fatal  as  that  of  high  trea 
son;"  and  he  adds,  "if  a  ring  of  persons  take 
the  shock  among  them,  the  experiment  is  called, 
The  Conspirators.  Something  more  than  a  score 
of  years  later,  Franklin,  with  other  "  conspira 
tors,"  succeeded  in  wresting,  if  not  the  crown, 
yet  the  brightest  gem  from  the  crown,  of  another 
George.  Franklin  turned  his  electricity  upon 
hens  and  turkeys,  and  other  small  animals,  prov 
ing  its  power  to  take  away  life.  Thus  he  went 
on,  making  a  great  variety  of  experiments,  which 
were  leading  him  to  the  grand  discovery  of  the 
identity  of  lightning  and  electricity. 

"But  the  hot  weather  coming  on,"  he  says,  "  when  elec 
trical  experiments  were  not  so  agreeable,  it  was  proposed  to 
put  an  end  to  them  for  this  season,  somewhat  humorously, 
in  a  party  of  pleasure  on  the  banks  of  the  Schuylkill.  Spirits, 
at  the  same  time,  are  to  be  fired  by  a  spark  sent  from  side  to 
side  through  the  river,  without  any  other  conductor  than 
the  water,  an  experiment  which  we  sometime  since  per 
formed  to  the  amazement  of  many.  A  turkey  is  to  be 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  157 

killed  for  our  dinner  by  the  electrical  shock,  and  roasted  by 
the  electrical  jack,  before  a  fire  kindled  by  the  electrified 
bottle;  when  the  healths  of  all  the  famous  electricians  in 
England,  Holland,  France  and  Germany,  are  to  be  drank  in 
electrified  bumpers,  under  the  discharge  of  guns  from  the 
electrical  battery." 

The  bumper  was  a  small,  thin,  glass  tumbler, 
nearly  filled  with  wine,  and  electrified  as  the 
bottle.  This  when  brought  to  the  lips  gave  a 
shock. 

It  was  in  1747,  that  Franklin  ventured  the 
conjecture  that  electricity  and  lightning  were 
the  same.  Two  years  later,  "  he  conceived," 
says  Stuber,  "  the  astonishingly  bold  and  grand 
idea  of  ascertaining  the  truth  of  his  doctrine,  by 
actually  drawing  down  the  lightning,  by  means 
of  sharp-pointed  iron  rods,  raised  into  the  region 
of  the  clouds."  Meanwhile,  he  tried  humbler 
methods  of  verifying  his  theory.  And  even  at 
this  period  he  suggested  the  idea  of  protecting 
houses  and  ships  by  means  of  pointed  rods. 

Franklin's  experiments  did  not  at  first  meet 
with  much  respectful  attention  in  England. 
Some  letters  of  his  to  a  friend  in  London  con 
taining  an  account  of  them,  though  permitted 
to  be  read  before  the  Royal  Society,  were  not 
then  thought  worth  being  printed  in  their  Trans 
actions,  and  one  paper,  on  the  sameness  of  light 
ning  with  electricity,  was  actually  laughed  at  by 
the  wise  heads.  There  was  one  man,  however, 
Dr.  Fothergill,  who  advised  the  printing  of 
these  papers;  when  they  were  published  by 


158  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN. 

Cave,  in  a  pamphlet  form,  he  wrote  the  preface. 
The  pamphlet  did  not,  however,  immediately 
attract  much  notice  in  England.  An  almost  un 
known  inhabitant  of  a  remote  American  colony 
—  what  could  he  have  to  communicate  that  was 
not  already  familiar  to  European  scholars  ?  "  Dost 
thou  teach  us?"  —  and  they  passed  him  by  as 
unworthy  their  attention. 


LIFE  OF    BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN.  159 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

A  Proposal  for  a  College.  —  Philosophical  Society. 
Its  Objects.  —  American  Philosophical  Society. 
—  Defence  of  the  Province. — Designs  of  France. 
— Louisburg.  —  A  Quaker  Colony.  —  A  Volun 
tary  Militia.  —  "  Plain  Truth. "  —  Elected 
Colonel.  —  A  Battery.  —  A  Lottery.  —  Procur 
ing  Cannon.  —  Governor  Clinton.  —  The  Pro 
prietaries  Displeased.  —  Proposes  a  Fast.  — 
Writes  a  Proclamation.  —  His  Rule  About 
Offices.  —  Re-elected  Clerk.  —  The  Quakers  on 
Defensive  War. 

HAVING  thus  risen  to  a  condition  of  easy  in 
dependence,  Franklin  did  not,  as  too  many  do^ 
in  their  growing  desire  to  become  rich,  forget  his 
duties  to  the  community  and  to  mankind.  His 
comfortable  circumstances  seemed  to  widen  his 
vision  and  to  expand  his  sympathies.  His  first 
thoughts  of  this  kind  were  naturally  given  to 
Pennsylvania.  He  observed  with  regret  that 
there  was  no  provision  for  defence  against  foreign 
enemies  and  the  Indians,  nor  for  a  system  of 
complete  education.  The  most  pressing  want 
was  a  college  or  academy.  Franklin  was  what 
is  commonly  termed  a  "  self-made  "  man,  having 
never  enjoyed  so  much  as  two  years'  schooling, 


160  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

and  having  risen,  by  his  own  private  studies,  to 
a  position  of  equality  with  persons  who  had  en 
joyed  the  best  academical  advantages;  but  he 
had  the  breadth  of  mind  to  appreciate  at  their 
proper  value  institutions  of  learning.  He  drew 
up,  in  1743,  a  proposal  for  an  academy,  but  un 
favorable  circumstances  compelled  a  postpone 
ment  of  the  project  till  1749.  In  the  meantime, 
in  1744,  he  succeeded  in  establishing  a  Philo 
sophical  Society.  He  wrote  a  paper  setting  forth 
the  objects  and  advantages  of  such  an  associa 
tion,  and  when  it  was  formed,  he  became  its 
Secretary.  This  paper  shows  what  a  wide  range 
of  subjects  had  occupied  his  thoughts,  and  how 
minute,  and  yet  how  broad  had  been  his  ob 
servation  of  nature,  of  science,  and  of  useful 
arts  and  inventions.  The  members  of  the  society 
were  to  consider, 

"Newly  discovered  plants,  herbs,  trees,  roots,  their  vir 
tues,  uses,  methods  of  propagating  them,  and  making  such 
as  are  useful,  but  particular  to  some  plantations,  more  gen 
eral;  improvements  of  vegetable  juices;  as  ciders,  wines; 
new  methods  of  curing  or  preventing  diseases ;  all  new-dis 
covered  fossils  in  different  countries,  as  mines,  minerals,  and 
quarries ;  new  and  useful  improvements  in  distillation,  brew 
ing,  and  assaying  of  ores;  new  mechanical  inventions  for 
saving  labor,  as  mills  and  carriages,  and  for  raising  and  con 
veying  of  water,  draining  of  meadows ;  all  new  arts,  trades, 
or  manufactures,  that  may  be  proposed  or  thought  of;  sur 
veys,  maps,  and  charts  of  particular  parts  of  the  sea-coasts 
or  inland  countries ;  course  and  junction  of  rivers  and  great 
roads,  situation  of  lakes  and  mountains,  nature  of  the  soil 
and  productions ;  new  methods  of  improving  the  breed  of 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  161 

useful  animals ;  introducing  other  sorts  from  foreign  coun 
tries  ;  new  improvements  in  planting,  gardening,  and  clear 
ing  land ;  and  all  philosophical  experiments  that  let  light  into 
the  nature  of  things,  tend  to  increase  the  power  of  man  over 
matter,  and  multiply  the  conveniences  or  pleasures  of  life." 

The  association  was  never  very  prosperous, 
but  it  resulted,  many  years  later,  in  the  estab 
lishment  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society. 

Having  accomplished  so  much  in  the  cause  of 
education,  Franklin  next  turned  his  attention  to 
the  subject  of  defence.  The  country  was  in 
danger.  The  European  wars  of  that  time,  ex 
tending  through  a  period  of  eight  years,  affected 
even  the  American  colonies.  France  was  the 
chronic  rival  and  enemy  of  England  on  the  Amer 
ican  continent,  claiming,  as  she  did,  the  whole 
of  it,  from  Canada  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico,  back  of 
the  narrow  British  settlements  on  the  Atlantic 
coast.  England  had  just  been  driven  into  a  war 
with  Spain,  and  France  was  likely  to  become  a 
party  to  the  contest.  This  filled  the  colonies 
with  new  alarm.  In  New  England,  the  people 
went  beyond  mere  defence  ;  an  expedition  was 
fitted  out  against  Louisburg,  on  Cape  Breton  — 
the  "Gibraltar  of  North  America," — for  the  spe 
cial  purpose  of  keeping  the  French  so  occupied 
at  home,  as  to  be  unable  to  stir  up  Indian  raids 
upon  the  colonial  villages.  The  whole  extent 
of  the  sea-board  was  in  peril  from  the  front, 
by  sea,  and  in  the  rear,  and  this  anxiety  harassed 
the  minds  of  the  British  settlers  till  the  peace  of 
Aix-la-Chapelle,  in  1748. 


162  LIFE  OP   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

Franklin  saw  the  danger ;  but  what  could  be 
done  ?  Pennsylvania  was  a  Quaker  colony  ;  its 
proprietaries  and  legislators  were  opposed  to 
war,  and  of  course  were  not  disposed  to  take 
any  measures  looking  to  military  defence.  The 
governor  at  that  time,  Thomas,  earnestly  be 
sought  the  Quaker  Assembly  to  pass  a  militia 
law,  and  to  make  other  provisions  for  the  security 
of  the  province,  but  to  no  purpose.  They  meant 
to  stand  by  their  peace  principles.  But  where 
the  governor  failed,  a  private  citizen,  our  master- 
printer,  succeeded.  Leaving  the  Assembly  to 
its  own  course,  he  proposed  to  try  what  could  be 
done  by  a  voluntary  subscription  of  the  people. 
To  effect  this  purpose,  he  resorted  to  what  was 
with  him  a  very  common  means  of  introducing 
a  new  project,  he  wrote  a  pamphlet.  It  was  en 
titled  PLAIN  TRUTH,  and  set  forth  in  a  strong 
light  the  helpless  situation  of  the  province,  and 
the  necessity  of  union  and  discipline  for  its  de 
fence.  He  added  that  in  a  few  days  he  should 
propose  an  association  to  accomplish  the  purpose. 

"  The  pamphlet,"  he  says,  "had  a  sudden  and  surprising 
effect.  I  was  called  upon  for  the  instrument  of  association. 
Having  settled  the  draft  of  it  with  a  few  friends,  I  appointed 
a  meeting  of  the  citizens  in  the  large  building,  [where  Whit- 
field  had  preached].  The  house  was  pretty  full:  I  had  pre 
pared  a  number  of  printed  copies,  and  provided  pens  and  ink 
dispersed  "all  over  the  room.  I  harangued  them  a  little  on 
the  subject,  read  the  paper,  explained  it,  and  then  distrib 
uted  the  copies,  which  were  eagerly  signed,  not  the  least  ob 
jection  being  made. 

"  When  the  company  separated,  and  the  papers  were  col- 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  163 

lected,  we  found  above  twelve  hundred  signatures,  and, 
other  copies  being  dispersed  in  the  country,  the  subscribers 
amounted  at  length  to  upwards  of  ten  thousand.  These  all 
furnished  themselves,  as  soon  as  they  could,  with  arms, 
formed  themselves  into  companies  and  regiments,  chose 
their  own  officers,  and  met  every  week  to  be  instructed  in 
the  manual  exercise,  and  other  parts  of  military  discipline. 
The  women,  by  subscriptions  among  themselves,  provided 
silk  colors,  which  they  presented  to  the  companies,  painted 
with  different  devices  and  mottoes,  which  I  supplied." 

The  ladies  also  provided  "  the  officers'  half- 
pikes  and  spontoons,  and  even  the  halberds  and 
drums." 

Franklin  was  elected  colonel  of  the  Philadel 
phia  regiment,  but  he  declined  the  office,  recom 
mending  Mr.  Lawrence,  "  a  fine  person,  and  a 
man  of  influence,"  who  was  appointed. 

A  battery  was  needed  below  the  town,  and 
Franklin,  ever  fertile  in  resources,  proposed  a 
lottery  to  defray  the  expense  of  building  it,  and 
furnishing  it  with  cannon.  Lotteries  were  then, 
and  later,  considered  very  proper  means  of  rais 
ing  money  for  good  objects,  even  religious,  but 
they  are  now  justly  regarded  as  very  objection 
able,  and  are  forbidden  by  law  in  most  of  the 
States.  The  lottery  in  this  case  proved  success 
ful,  and  the  battery  was  built.  Some  cannon 
were  bought  in  Boston,  and  more  were  sent  for 
from  London.  Application  was  made  to  Gov. 
Clinton,  of  New  York,  for  the  loan  of  cannon 
for  immediate  service,  Franklin,  Colonel  Law 
rence  and  others  being  commissioned  to  visit  New 
York  for  that  purpose.  The  governor  at  first 


164  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

gave  a  plump  refusal,  but  at  a  dinner  with  his 
Council,  being  mellowed  with  much  wine,  he  so 
far  relented  as  to  offer  six. 

"After  a  few  more  bumpers,"  says  Frankliii,  "he 
advanced  to  ten,  and  at  length  he  very  good-naturedly 
conceded  eighteen.  They  were  fine  cannon,  eighteen- 
pounders,  with  their  carriages,  which  were  soon  trans 
ported,  and  mounted  on  our  batteries ;  where  the  association 
kept  a  nightly  guard,  while  the  war  lasted;  and  among 
the  rest  I  regularly  took  my  turn  of  duty  there,  as  a  com 
mon  soldier." 

The  proprietaries  were  not  pleased  with  these 
popular  measures.  They  were  illegal,  they  said, 
and  would  be  a  dangerous  precedent,  by  encour 
aging  the  people  to  put  forth  new  claims  to  oivil 
privileges,  threatening  their  OAVH  prerogatives  as 
masters  of  the  province.  They  also  opposed 
them  on  the  ground  of  religious  principle,  war 
being,  in  their  opinion,  wholly  unchristian. 

But  the  governor  and  council  were  pleased 
with  Franklin's  activity  in  these  operations. 
They  took  him  into  their  confidence,  and  con 
sulted  him  in  every  measure  where  their  concur 
rence  was  thought  advantageous  to  the  military 
association. 

Franklin  proposed  a  fast,  "  to  promote  reforma 
tion,  and  implore  the  blessing  of  Heaven,"  which 
the  magistrates  just  mentioned  approved  of.  But 
the  Secretary  being  at  a  loss  how  to  word  such 
a  proclamation,  this  being  the  first  fast  ever  held 
in  that  province,  Franklin's  ready  pen  was  called 
into  requisition. 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN  FEANKLIN.  165 

"  My  education  in  New  England,"  he  says,  "  where  a  fast 
is  proclaimed  every  year,  was  here  of  some  advantage;  I 
drew  it  in  the  accustomed  style;  it  was  translated  into 
German,  printed  in  both  languages,  and  circulated  through 
the  province.  This  gave  the  clergy  of  the  different  sects  an 
opportunity  of  influencing  their  congregations  to  join  the 
Association,  and  it  would  probably  have  been  general  among 
all  but  the  Quakers,  if  the  peace  (of  1748)  had  not  soon 
intervened." 

Franklin  was  told  that  his  activity  in  these 
affairs  would  be  likely  to  lose  him  the  friendship 
of  the  Quakers,  who  were  a  great  majority  in  the 
Assembly,  and  that  at  the  next  election  he 
would  be  put  out  of  his  clerkship.  A  young 
man  who  desired  the  office,  and  who  announced 
that  he  expected  to  get  it,  advised  Franklin  as  a 
friend  to  resign.  Franklin  replied,  that  it  was  a 
rule  with  him  never  to  ask  an  office,  and  never 
to  refuse  one  when  offered ;  and  he  added : 

"  I  approve  of  this  rule,  and  shall  practice  it  with  a  small 
addition ;  I  shall  never  ask,  never  refuse,  nor  ever  resign  an 
office.  If  they  will  have  my  office  of  clerk  to  dispose  of  it 
to  another,  they  shall  take  it  from  me.  I  will  not,  by  giv 
ing  it  up,  lose  my  right  of  some  time  or  other  making 
reprisal  on  my  adversaries." 

But  he  was  unanimously  re-elected,  and  he 
had  some  reason  to  believe  that  the  defence 
of  the  country  was  not  disagreeable  to  any  of 
the  Assembly,  provided  they  were  not  required 
to  assist  in  it.  "  And  I  found,"  he  adds,  "that 
a  much  greater  number  of  them  than  I  could 


166  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FK  ANKLE*. 

have  imagined,  though  against  offensive  war, 
were  clearly  for  defensive.  Many  pamphlets  pro 
and  con  were  published  on  the  subject,  and 
some  by  good  Quakers,  in  favor  of  defence ; 
which  I  believe  convinced  most  of  their  young 
people." 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  167 


CHAPTER  XX. 

Peace  Concluded. —  An  Academy. —  "Proposals 
Relating  to  the  Education  of  Youth'" — Plan 
of  Education. —  How  Franklin  became  a  Mem 
ber  of  the  Board. —  A  Charity  School. —  Phil 
osophical  Studies. — Buys  Dr.  Spence's  Appara- 
tUSt —  Commissioner  of  the  Peace. — Alderman. 

—  Member  of  the  Assembly. — Letter  from  his 
Mother. — Postscript  from  his  Sister. — Charles 
tSumner. —  His  Son  elected  Clerk. —  One  of  a 
Commission  to  treat  with  the  Indians. —  Con 
duct  of  the  Indians. — Effect  of  Ardent  Spirits. 

—  A  Hospital.  —  How  he  obtained  a  Subscrip 
tion.  —  The   Subject    in   the   Assembly.  —  His 
Views  about  caring  for  the  Poor. —  Improve 
ment   of   the   Streets.  —  Becomes    Postmaster 
Creneral. —  Receives  the  Degree  of  Master  of, 
Arts. —  Dignity  of  Labor. —  On  Luxury. — The 
Farmer  at  Cape  May. 

"PEACE  being  concluded,"  says  Franklin, 
"and  the  Association  business  therefore  at  an 
end,  I  turned  my  thoughts  again  to  the  affair  of 
establishing  an  Academy."  This  was  in  1749. 
Again  he  wrote  a  pamphlet,  entitled,  Proposals 
relating  to  the  Education  of  youth  in  Pennsyl 
vania,  which  was  distributed  gratis  among  the 


168  LITE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

principal  inhabitants.  In  it,  he  set  forth  a  lib 
eral  plan  of  education,  the  several  courses  vary 
ing,  however,  according  to  the  intended  occupa 
tions  of  the  students.  It  concluded  with  these 
noble  words: 

"  The  idea  of  what  is  true  merit  should  also  be  often  pre 
sented  to  youth,  explained  and  impressed  on  their  minds,  as 
consisting  in  an  inclination,  joined  with  an  ability,  to  serve 
mankind,  one's  country,  friends,  and  family;  which  ability 
is,  with  the  blessing  of  God,  to  be  acquired  or  greatly  in 
creased  by  true  learning;  and  should,  indeed,  be  the  great 
aim  and  end  of  all  learning." 

To  carry  out  his  plan,  Franklin  opened  a  sub 
scription,  to  be  paid  in  annual  instalments  for 
five  years;  which  amounted  to  five  thousand 
pounds.  Liberal  donations  were  subsequently 
made,  through  Franklin's  influence,  in  America 
and  England.  In  appointing  Trustees,  one  of 
each  religious  sect  then  in  the  city  was  selected ; 
one  Episcopalian,  one  Presbyterian,  one  Baptist, 
one  Moravian,  etc.  Franklin,  being  of  "no 
sect,"  at  first  had  no  place  in  the  Board ;  but  on 
the  death  of  the  Moravian  member,  who  had  not 
worked  harmoniously  with  the  rest,  it  was  re 
solved  not  to  appoint  another  from  that  denomi 
nation,  and  now  Franklin's  previous  disqualifi 
cation  became  a  reason  for  his  election.  "  One 
mentioned  me,"  he  says,  "with  the  observation 
that  I  was  merely  an  honest  man,  and  of  no  sect 
at  all,  which  prevailed  with  them  to  choose 
me." 

The  school  rapidly  increasing,  the  large  build- 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  169 

ing  erected  by  Mr.  Whitfield's  hearers  was  ob 
tained,  and  fitted  for  the  use  of  the  Academy, 
the  whole  care  of  the  work  falling  upon  the  new 
member.  Franklin  gave  his  time  cheerfully  to 
the  task,  which  he  was  the  better  able  to  do, 
from  having  taken  a  faithful  partner  the  pre 
vious  year,  who  relieved  him  of  all  care  of  the 
office.  He  continued  to  be  a  Trustee  as  long  as 
he  lived,  and  he  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing 
the  Academy  grow  to  be  the  University  of  Phil 
adelphia. 

In  1751,  a  free,  or  charity  school  was  attached 
to  the  Academy,  for  the  instruction  of  poor  chil 
dren  gratis  in  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic, 
and  within  a  year  a  hundred  such  children  were 
in  attendance. 

Franklin  now  flattered  himself  that,  with  "  the 
sufficient  though  moderate  "  fortune  he  had  ac 
quired,  he  had  purchased  leisure,  for  the  rest  of 
his  days,  to  devote  to  "  philosophical  studies  and 
amusements."  He  purchased  Dr.  Spence's  ap 
paratus,  and  proceeded  with  his  electrical  exper 
iments  with  great  alacrity.  But  the  public  had 
found  out  his  remarkable  executive  abilities,  and 
determined  to  employ  his  leisure  in  their  service. 
The  Governor  made  him  Commissioner  of  the 
Peace ;  the  city  corporation  chose  him  to  be  one 
of  the  Common  Council,  and  soon  after  Alder 
man  ;  and  the  citizens  at  large  elected  him  to 
represent  them  in  the  Assembly. 

"Tliis  latter  station,"  he  says,  "was  the  more  agreeable 
to  me,"  because,  "I  conceived  my  becoming  a  member 


170  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN. 

would  enlarge  my  power  of  doing  good.  I  would  not,  how 
ever,  insinuate,"  he  adds,  "  that  my  ambition  was  not  flattered 
by  these  promotions.  It  certainly  was,  for,  considering  my 
low  beginning,  they  were  great  things  to  me;  and  they  were 
still  more  pleasing,  as  being  so  many  spontaneous  testimo 
nies  of  the  public  good  opinion,  and  by  me  entirely  unsolic 
ited." 

He  was  forty-four  years  of  age  when  these 
public  honors  began  to  be  heaped  upon  him. 
His  aged  father  and  mother,  and  the  whole 
family,  shared  his  gratification.  In  1751,  about 
a  fortnight  after  his  election  as  alderman,  his 
mother  wrote  to  him  and  his  wife  as  follows  : 

"  LOVING  SON  AND  DAUGHTER, 

"I  am  glad  to  hear  you  are  so  well  respected 
in  your  town  for  them  to  choose  you  as  Alderman,  although 
I  don't  know  what  it  means  or  what  the  better  you  will  be 
of  it  besides  the  honor  of  it.  I  hope  you  will  look  up  to 
God,  and  thank  him  for  all  his  good  providences  towards 
you.  He  has  granted  you  much  in  that  place,  and  I  am  very 
thankful  for  it.  I  hope  that  you  will  carry  well,  so  that  you 
may  be  liked  in  all  your  posts.  I  am  very  weak  and  short- 
breathed,  so  that  I  can't  sit  up  to  write  much,  although  I 
sleep  well  nights  and  my  cough  is  better. 

"  From  your  loving  mother, 

"  ABIAH  FRANKLIN." 

Mrs.  Mecom,  Franklin's  youngest  sister,  added 
a  postscript : 

"  I  rejoice  with  you  in  all  your  prosperity,  and  doubt  not 
but  you  will  be  greater  blessings  to  the  world  as  he  bestows 
upon  you  greater  honors." 

Franklin  was  elected  to  the  Assembly  every 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  171 

year  for  ten  years,  "without,"  he  says,  "my 
ever  asking  any  elector  for  his  vote,  or  signify 
ing,  either  directly  or  indirectly,  any  desire  of 
being  chosen." 

One  is  strongly  reminded  of  another  illustri 
ous  son  of  Massachusetts,  so  unlike  him  in 
many  respects,  but  so  like  him  in  political  hon 
esty,  who  never  sought,  but  was  always  sought 
by,  office  —  Charles  Summer. 

Another  mark  of  regard  for  Franklin,  on  his 
election  to  the  House,  was  the  appointment  of 
his  son  as  Clerk  of  the  body. 

About  this  time  Franklin  and  the  Speaker  of 
the  House  were  appointed  Commissioners,  in 
company  with  some  members  of  the  Council,  to 
treat  with  the  Indians,  at  Carlisle.  In  order 
that  the  treaty  might  be  properly  conducted, 
the  Indians  were  told,  that  if  they  would  con 
tinue  sober  during  the  negotiation,  they  should 
be  well  supplied  with  rum  when  it  was  over. 
The  treaty  was  concluded  to  mutual  satisfaction, 
and  then  the  rum  was  demanded  and  given. 

"This,"  says  Franklin,  "was  in  the  afternoon.  They 
were  near  one  hundred  men,  women,  and  children,  and  were 
lodged  in  temporary  cabins,  built  in  the  form  of  a  square; 
they  were  all  drunk,  men  and  women,  quarrelling  and  fight 
ing.  Their  dark-colored  bodies,  half-naked,  seen  only  by 
the  gloomy  light  of  the  bonfire,  running  after  and  beating 
one  another  with  fire-brands,  accompanied  by  their  horrid 
yellings,  formed  a  scene  the  most  resembling  our  idea  of 
hell  that  could  well  be  imagined ;  there  was  no  appeasing 
the  tumult,  and  we  retired  to  our  lodgings.  At  midnight  a 


172  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN. 

number  of  them  came  thundering  at  our  door,  demanding 
more  rum,  of  which  we  took  no  notice. 

"  The  next  day,  sensible  they  had  misbehaved  in  giving  us 
that  disturbance,  they  sent  three  of  their  old  counsellors  to 
make  their  apology.  The  orator  acknowledged  the  fault 
but  laid  it  upon  the  rum ;  and  endeavored  to  excuse  the  rum, 
by  saying,  '  The  Great  Spirit,  who  made  all  things,  made 
everything  for  some  use,  and  whatever  use  he  designed  any 
thing  for,  that  use  it  should  always  be  put  to.  Now,  when 
he  made  rum,  he  said,  "Let  this  be  for  the  Indians  to  get 
drunk  with;"  and  it  must  be  so.'" 

Rum,  Franklin  adds,  bad  already  annihilated 
all  the  tribes  that  formerly  inhabited  the  sea- 
coast;  and  it  has  since  swept  off  hundreds  of 
thousands  in  the  interior. 

In  1751,  Franklin  became  interested  in  a  be 
nevolent  project,  the  establishment  of  a  hospital 
for  the  benefit  of  poor  sick  persons,  whether  in 
habitants  of  the  provinces  or  strangers.  The 
plan  originated  with  Dr.  Thomas  Bond,  a  par 
ticular  friend  of  his,  but,  as  the  proposal  was  a 
new  thing  in  America,  he  met  with  little  suc 
cess.  Of  course  the  next  step  was  to  get 
Franklin's  counsel  and  assistance.  "  I  am  often 
asked,"  he  said  to  him,  "  by  those  to  whom  I  pro 
pose  subscribing,  « Have  you  consulted  Frank 
lin  on  this  business  ?  And  what  does  he  think 
of  it  ? '  And  when  I  tell  them  that  I  dare  not, 
supposing  it  rather  out  of  your  line,  they  do  not 
subscribe,  but  say,  they  will  consider  it."  Frank 
lin  immediately  saw  the  importance  of  such  an 
institution,  and  promised  every  assistance  in 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  173 

his  power.  In  the  first  place,  as  his  custom  was, 
he  endeavored  to  prepare  the  way  for  a  sub 
scription  by  writing  on  the  subject  in  the  news 
papers.  He  then  undertook  to  solicit  subscrip 
tions,  and  with  good  success ;  but  as  these  were 
not  sufficient,  he  got  a  petition  in  behalf  of  the 
hospital  before  the  Assembly.  Opposition  arose 
from  the  country  members,  who  looked  upon 
the  project  as  serviceable  only  to  the  city,  and 
even  questioned  whether  a  majority  of  the 
citizens  approved  of  it. 

But  Franklin  assured  them  that  two  thousand 
pounds  could  be  raised  by  voluntary  donations, 
which  the  opponents  of  the  measure  considered 
a  wild  statement.  He  then  drew  up  a  bill  for 
an  act  of  incorporation,  containing  the  condition 
that  when  two  thousand  pounds  should  be  raised 
by  contributions,  the  Speaker  be  authorized  to 
sign  an  order  on  the  provincial  treasurer  for  the 
same  amount ;  making  four  thousand  pounds  in 
all.  The  bill  was  passed;  and  the  condition 
furnishing  an  additional  motive  for  giving, 
every  man's  donation  being  doubled,  the  sub 
scriptions  soon  exceeded  the  requisite  sum. 
With  the  money  thus  obtained,  a  suitable  build 
ing  was  erected,  and  the  institution  began  its 
beneficent  work.  Such  was  the  origin  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Hospital.  While  Franklin  was 
thus  prompt  to  respond  to  the  call  of  benevo 
lence,  he  was  not  blind  to  the  necessity  of  sound 
judgment  and  prudence  in  caring  for  the  poor 
and  suffering.  In  a  letter  to  his  friend  Peter 
Collinson,  he  said : 


174  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FKANKLIN. 

"  I  have  heard  it  remarked  that  the  poor  in  Protestant 
countries,  on  the  continent  of  Europe,  are  generally  more 
industrious  than  those  of  Popish  countries.  May  not  the 
more  numerous  foundations  in  the  latter  for  the  relief  of 
the  poor  have  some  effect  toward  rendering  them  less  provi 
dent  ?  To  relieve  the  misfortunes  of  our  fellow  creatures  is 
concurring  with  the  Deity ;  it  is  god-like ;  but,  if  we  provide 
encouragement  for  laziness,  and  support  for  folly,  may  we 
not  be  found  fighting  against  the  order  of  God  and  nature, 
which  perhaps  has  appointed  want  and  misery  as  the  proper 
punishment  for,  and  cautions  against,  as  well  as  necessary 
consequences  of,  idleness  and  extravagance?  Whenever  we 
attempt  to  amend  the  scheme  of  Providence,  and  to  inter 
fere  with  the  government  of  the  world,  we  had  need  be  very 
circumspect,  lest  we  do  more  harm  than  good.  In  New 
England  they  once  thought  blackbirds  useless,  and  mischiev 
ous  to  the  corn.  They  made  efforts  to  destroy  them.  The 
consequence  was,  the  blackbirds  were  diminished;  but  a 
kind  of  worm  which  devoured  their  grass,  and  which  the 
blackbirds  used  to  feed  on,  increased  prodigiously;  then, 
finding  their  loss  in  grass  much  greater  than  their  saving  in 
corn,  they  wished  again  for  their  blackbirds." 

Franklin's  busy  mind  now  thought  of  improv 
ing  the  streets  of  the  city  of  his  adoption. 

"Our  city,"  he  says,  "though  laid  out  with  a  beautiful 
regularity,  the  streets  large,  straight,  and  crossing  each  other 
at  right  angles,  had  the  disgrace  of  suffering  those  streets  to 
remain  long  unpaved,  and  in  wet  weather  the  wheels  of 
heavy  carriages  ploughed  them  into  a  quagmire,  so  that  it 
was  difficult  to  cross  them ;  and  in  dry  weather,  the  dust  was 
oppressive.  I  had  lived  near  what  was  called  the  Jersey 
Market,  and  saw  with  pain  the  inhabitants  wading  in  mud, 
while  purchasing  provisions.  A  strip  of  ground  down  the 
middle  of  that  market  was  at  length  paved  with  brick,  so 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN.  175 

that,  being  once  in  the  market,  they  had  firm  footing ;  but 
were  often  over  shoes  in  dirt  to  get  there.  By  talking  and 
writing  on  the  subject,  I  was  at  length  instrumental  in  get 
ting  the  street  paved  with  stone  between  the  market  and  the 
brick  foot  pavement,  that  was  on  the  side  next  the  houses. 
This,  for  some  time  gave  an  easy  access  to  the  market  dry- 
shod  ;  but,  the  rest  of  the  street  not  being  paved,  whenever 
a  carriage  came  out  of  the  mud  upon  this  pavement,  it  shook 
off  and  left  its  dirt  upon  it,  and  it  was  soon  covered  with 
mire,  which  was  not  removed,  the  city  as  yet  having  no 
scavengers. 

After  some  inquiry,  I  found  a  poor  industrious  man,  who 
was  willing  to  undertake  keeping  the  pavement  clear,  by 
sweeping  it  twice  a  week,  carrying  off  the  dirt  from  before 
all  the  neighbors'  doors,  for  the  sum  of  sixpence  per  month, 
to  be  paid  by  each  house.  I  then  wrote  and  printed  a  paper 
setting  forth  the  advantages  to  the  neighborhood,  that 
might  be  obtained  from  this  small  expense.  I  sent  one  of 
these  papers  to  each  house,  and  in  a  day  or  two  went  round 
to  see  who  would  subscribe  an  agreement  to  pay  these  six 
pence  ;  it  was  unanimously  signed,  and  for  a  time  well  exe 
cuted.  All  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  were  delighted  with 
the  cleanliness  of  the  pavement  that  surrounded  the  market, 
it  being  a  convenience  to  all,  and  this  raised  a  general  desire 
to  have  all  the  streets  paved ;  and  made  the  people  more  will 
ing  to  submit  to  a  tax  for  that  purpose." 

After  some  time  Franklin  drew  up  a  bill  for 
paving  the  city,  and  brought  it  into  the  Assem 
bly.  It  afterwards  passed,  with  an  additional 
provison,  by  another  person,  for  lighting  the 
streets. 

Thus  the  poor  boy,  who,  less  than  thirty  years 
before,  had  walked  its  streets  a  stranger,  with 


176  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN. 

his  roll  under  his  arm,  introduced  one  of  the 
greatest  improvements  of  its  thoroughfares. 

In  1753,  on  the  death  of  the  Postmaster  Gen 
eral  of  the  colonies,  Franklin  and  William  Hun 
ter  were  appointed  to  succeed  him,  with  an 
allowance  each  of  three  hundred  pounds,  if 
they  could  clear  that  amount  from  the  profits  of 
the  office.  Hitherto  the  office  had  been  poorly 
managed,  but  Franklin  introduced  such  valuable 
improvements,  and  conducted  the  business  with 
such  energy  and  prudence,  that,  after  four  years, 
the  income  not  only  paid  their  salaries,  but 
yielded  a  clear  revenue  to  the  crown. 

Franklin  had  now  really  become  a  great  man, 
known  not  only  at  home  but  abroad ;  and  when 
the  business  of  the  post-office  took  him  to  New 
England  in  1753,  the  college  at  Cambridge  con 
ferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts, 
an  honor  received  already  from  Yale  College. 

But  with  all  his  honors,  literary  and  political, 
he  ever  retained  a  charming  simplicity  of  char 
acter.  He  believed  in  the  dignity  of  labor,  and 
respected  the  working  class. 

"The  merchants  of  Philadelphia,"  about  this  time,  says 
fiis  grandson,  "  set  up  an  assembly  for  dancing,  and  desiring 
u)  assume  a  rank  above  the  mechanics,  they  at  first  proposed, 
among  the  rules  for  regulating  the  assembly,  '  that  no  me 
chanic  or  mechanic's  wife  or  daughter,  should  be  admitted 
on  any  terms.  The  rules  being  shown  by  a  manager  to 
Franklin  for  his  opinion,  he  remarked  that  one  of  them  ex 
cluded  God  Almighty.  '  How  so  ? '  said  the  manager. 
1  Because,'  replied  Franklin,  '  he  is  notoriously  the  greatest 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN    FBANKLIN.  177 

mechanic  in  the  universe,  having,  as  the  Scripture  testifies, 
made  all  things,  and  that  by  weight  and  measure.'  The 
gentlemen  became  ashamed  of  their  rule,  and  struck  it 
out." 

Franklin  was  always  averse  to  extravagance 
and  luxury.  But  lie  took  a  common-sense  view 
of  the  subject,  and  would  not  undertake  to  reg 
ulate  the  style  of  living,  by  law.  Jn  a  letter  to 
a  friend,  written  many  years  after,  he  said  :  "  Is 
not  the  hope  of  being  able  one  day  to  purchase 
and  enjoy  luxuries,  a  great  spur  to  labor  and  in 
dustry?  May  not  luxury,  therefore,  produce 
more  than  it  consumes,  if  without  such  a  spur 
people  would  be,  as  they  are  naturally  enough 
inclined  to  be,  lazy  and  indolent?"  And  to 
illustrate  his  meaning,  he  related  an  incident 
which  occurred  about  this  time. 

"The  skipper  of  a  Shallop,  employed  between  Cape  May 
and  Philadelphia,  had  done  me  some  small  service,  for  which 
he  refused  to  be  paid.  My  wife,  understanding  that  he  had 
a  daughter,  sent  her  a  present  of  a  iiew-fashioiied  cap. 
Three  years  after,  this  skipper  being  at  my  house  with  an 
old  farmer  of  Cape  May,  his  passenger,  he  mentioned  the 
cap,  and  how  much  his  daughter  had  been  pleased  with  it. 
'  But,'  said  he,  *  it  proved  a  dear  cap  to  our  congregation.' 
'  How  so  ? '  '  When  my  daughter  appeared  with  it  at  meet 
ing,  it  was  so  much  admired  that  all  the  girls  resolved  to  get 
such  caps  from  Philadelphia ;  and  my  wife  and  I  computed 
that  the  whole  could  not  have  cost  less  than  a  hundred 
pounds.'  '  True,'  said  the  farmer,  '  but  you  do  not  tell  all 
the  story.  I  think  the  cap  was  nevertheless  an  advantage  to 
us,  for  it  was  the  first  thing  that  put  our  girls  upon  knitting 


178  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN. 

worsted  mittens  for  sale  at  Philadelphia,  that  they  might 
have  wherewithal  to  buy  caps  and  ribbons  there ;  and  you 
know  that  that  industry  has  continued,  and  is  likely  to  con 
tinue  and  increase  to  a  much  greater  value,  and  answer 
better  purposes.' 

"Upon  the  whole,"  adds  Franklin,  "I  was  more  recon 
ciled  to  this  little  piece  of  luxury,  since  not  only  the  girls 
were  made  happier  by  having  fine  caps,  but  the  Philadel- 
phians  by  a  supply  of  warm  mittens." 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN.  179 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

"War  with  France. —  The  Six  Nations. —  Congress 
at  Albany. —  Description  of  Albany. —  Union 
of  the  Colonies. —  Franklin's  Plan. —  It  is  Re 
jected. —  Device  of  a  Snake. —  Letter  to  Cath 
erine  Ray. —  His  Love  for  New  England. — 
British  Jealousy.  —  Creneral  Braddock.  — 
Franklin  Waits  upon  Him.  —  A  Whirlwind.  — 
Procuring  Horses  and  Wagons. —  Supplies  for 
Subaltern  Officers.  —  Provides  Supplies  for 
Braddock.  —  Conversation  with  Braddock.  — 
The  General's  Defeat  and  Death. —  Plan  for 
Improving  the  Grerman  Population. 

Six  years  have  now  passed  since  the  peace  of 
Aix-la-Chapelle,  which  put  an  end  to  the  French 
and  Indian  war.  In  1754,  war  with  France  was 
again  apprehended.  The  great  question  had  yet 
to  be  settled,  which  should  rule  this  continent, 
England  or  France.  Fortunately  the  Iroquois 
tribes,  also  called  the  Six  Nations, —  the  Cayu- 
gas,  Mohawks,  Oneidas,  Onondagas,  Senecas, 
and  Tuscaroras — who  were  among  the  most  pow 
erful  of  the  Indian  race,  were  firm  friends  of  the 
English.  The  British  government  accordingly 
ordered  a  congress  of  commissioners  from  the  dif 
ferent  colonies  to  assemble  at  Albany,  to  confer 


180  LIFE   OF  BENJA.MIN   FRANKLIN. 

with  the  Six  Nations  concerning  the  means  of 
defence  against  the  French.  There  came  to 
gether  twenty-five  leading  men  from  seven  colo 
nies  ;  among  them  Thomas  Hutchinson,  after 
wards  governor  and  historian  of  Massachusetts, 
and  Benjamin  Franklin. 

Albany  was  then  a  little  Dutch  town,  of  three 
hundred  houses  and  twenty-six  hundred  inhab 
itants.  It  was  protected  by  the  Hudson  on  the 
one  side,  and  by  a  picket-fence  on  the  other,  and 
had  a  stone  fort. 

War  was,  in  fact,  already  upon  the  colonies, 
and  the  necessity  of  a  closer  union  among  them, 
was  urgent.  A  plan  to  effect  this,  drawn  up  by 
Franklin  on  his  way  to  Albany,  which  provided 
for  a  general  government  to  be  administered  by 
a  President-general,  appointed  and  supported  by 
the  Crown,  and  for  a  grand  council,  or  congress,  to 
be  chosen  by  the  assemblies  of  the  several  colo 
nies,  was  unanimously  adopted.  But  it  was  riot 
approved  by  the  government  in  England,  as  be 
ing,  in  its  opinion,  too  democratic,  nor  by  the 
colonial  assemblies,  for  the  opposite  reason,  as  fa 
voring,  they  believed,  a  central  power,  adverse  to 
their  more  popular  character.  Before  going  to 
Albany,  Franklin  had  printed  in  his  newspaper 
a  woodcut,  made  doubtless  with  his  own  hand, 
representing  the  necessity  of  union  among  the 
colonies,  not  only  for  defence,  but  for  existence, 
by  the  figure  of  a  snake  cut  into  separate  pieces, 
and  an  inscription  underneath,  "  Unite  or  Die." 

But  arguments  and  devices  could  not  persuade 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  181 

the  colonies  to  sacrifice  a  particle  of  their  sepa 
rate  independence,  and  it  was  not,  in  fact,  till 
1787,  more  than  thirty  years  later,  that,  after  a 
bitter  experience  and  long  discussions,  the  colo 
nies,  then  become  States,  agreed  to  a  constitution 
which  combined  a  strong  government  and  popu 
lar  liberty. 

Franklin  believed  that  the  adoption  of  his  plan 
of  union  would  have  so  strengthened  the  colonies, 
as  to  have  prevented  the  need  of  troops  from 
England,  the  subsequent  taxation  of  America, 
and  the  bloody  contest  which  it  occasioned. 
"  The  best  public  measures,"  he  said,  "  are  sel 
dom  adopted  from  previous  wisdom,  but  forced 
by  the  occasion." 

The  plan  for  defence  appointed  by  the  home 
government  was,  that  the  governors  of  the 
provinces,  with  some  members  of  their  respective 
councils,  should  meet  and  order  the  raising  of 
troops,  building  of  forts,  and  drawing  on  the 
treasury  of  Great  Britian  for  the  expense, 
which  was  afterwards  to  be  refunded  by  an  act 
of  Parliament,  laying  a  taxation  on  America. 
That  tax  on  America  accomplished  more  than 
was  intended ! 

Being  in  Boston  the  next  year,  Franklin  talked 
over  the  government  plan  with  Governor  Shir 
ley,  and  afterwards  put  on  paper  his  objections 
to  it,*  objections  which  involved  the  American 
Revolution. 

On  his  return  to  Philadelphia,  he  wrote  under 

*  See  Sparks,   pps.  32-56. 


182  LIFE  OF  BEN  JAMES"   FBANKLIN. 

date  of  4th  March,  1755,  to  Catherine  Ray,  on 
Block  Island,  a  young  lady,  a  daughter  of  a 
friend.  The  letter,  gracefully  written,  shows 
how  strong  was  his  attachment  to  the  home  of 
his  boyhood,  and  his  kindness  of  heart. 

"  Your  kind  letter  of  January  20th  is  but  just  come  to 
hand,  and  I  take  this  first  opportunity  of  acknowledging  the 
favor.  It  gives  me  great  pleasure  to  hear  that  you  got  home 
safe  and  well  that  day.  I  thought  too  much  was  hazarded 
when  I  saw  you  put  off  to  sea  in  that  very  little  skiff,  tossed 
by  every  wave.  But  the  call  was  strong  and  just,  a  sick 
parent.  I  stood  on  the  shore,  and  looked  after  you  till  I 
could  no  longer  distinguish  you  even  with  my  glass ;  then 
returned  to  your  sister's,  praying  for  your  safe  passage. 
Toward  evening  all  agreed  that  you  must  certainly  be  ar 
rived  before  that  time,  the  weather  having  been  so  favorable ; 
which  made  me  more  easy  and  cheerful,  for  I  had  been  truly 
concerned  for  you. 

"  I  left  New  England  slowly,  and  with  great  reluctance. 
Short  days'  journeys,  and  loitering  visits  on  the  road  for  three 
or  four  weeks,  manifested  my  unwillingness  to  quit  a  coun 
try  in  which  I  drew  my  first  breath,  spent  my  earliest  and 
most  pleasant  days,  and  had  now  received  so  many  fresh 
marks  of  the  people's  goodness  and  benevolence,  in  the  kind 
and  affectionate  treatment  I  had  everywhere  met  with.  I 
almost  forgot  I  had  a  home,  till  I  was  more  than  half  way 
towards  it,  till  I  had,  one  by  one,  parted  with  all  my  New 
England  friends,  and  was  got  into  the  western  borders  of 
Connecticut,  among  mere  strangers.  Then  like  an  old  man, 
who,  having  buried  all  he  loved  in  the  world,  begins  to 
think  of  heaven,  I  began  to  think  of  home ;  and,  as  I  drew 
nearer,  I  found  the  attraction  stronger  and  stronger.  My 
diligence  and  speed  increased  with  my  impatience.  I  drove 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  183 

on  violently,  and  made  such  long  stretches,  that  a  very  few 
days  brought  me  to  my  own  house,  and  to  the  arms  of  my 
good  old  wife  and  children,  where  I  remain,  thanks  to  God, 
well  and  happy. 

"Persons  subject  to  the  hyp,  complain  of  the  northeast 
wind,  as  increasing  their  malady.  But  since  you  promised 
to  send  me  kisses  in  that  wind,  and  I  find  you  as  good  as 
your  word,  it  is  to  me  the  gayest  wind  that  blows,  and 
gives  me  the  best  spirits.  I  write  this  during  a  northeast 
storm  of  snow,  the  greatest  we  have  had  this  winter.  Your 
favors  come  mixed  with  the  snowy  fleeces." 

The  British  government  was  now  already  very 
jealous  of  the  colonies,  lest  they  should  become 
too  military,  and  too  conscious  of  their  own 
strength.  Rather  than  to  trust  them  to  raise 
troops  among  themselves,  even  for  their  own  de 
fence,  they  sent  over  General  Braddock,  in  1755, 
with  two  regiments  of  regular  English  troops, 
for  that  purpose.  He  landed  at  Alexandria,  and 
thence  marched  to  Fredericktown,  where  he 
halted  for  carriages.  He  was  much  prejudiced 
against  the  people  and  the  colonial  legislatures. 
The  Assembly  of  Pennsylvania,  wishing  to  disa 
buse  his  mind,  and  convince  him  of  their  readi 
ness  to  serve  him,  requested  Franklin,  not  as  a 
member  of  the  House,  but  as  Postmaster  General, 
to  wait  upon  the  general,  under  the  guise  of  fa 
cilitating  the  dispatches  between  him  and  the 
governors  of  the  several  provinces  ;  they  propos 
ing  to  pay  the  expense  of  such  correspondence. 
In  company  with  Franklin,  were  the  governors 
of  New  York  and  Massachusetts,  and  his  son 


184  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN. 

William.  Daring  the  journey  of  one  hundred 
and  twenty  miles  to  Fredericktown,  an  incident 
of  scientific  interest  occured,  which  Franklin  re 
corded  in  a  letter  to  a  friend : 

"  Being  in  Maryland,  riding  with  Col.  Tasker,  and  some 
other  gentlemen,  to  his  country-seat,  where  I  and  my  son 
were  entertained  by  that  amiable  and  worthy  man,  with 
great  hospitality  and  kindness,  we  saw  in  the  vale  below  us, 
a  small  whirlwind  beginning  in  the  road,  and  showing 
itself  by  the  dust  it  raised  and  contained.  It  appeared  in 
the  form  of  a  sugar-loaf,  spinning  on  the  point,  moving  up 
the  hill  towards  us,  enlarging  as  it  came  forward.  When  it 
passed  by  us,  its  smaller  part  near  the  ground  appeared  no 
bigger  than  a  common  barrel ;  but,  widening  upwards,  it 
seemed,  at  forty  or  fifty  feet  high,  to  be  twenty  or  thirty  feet 
in  diameter.  The  rest  of  the  company  stood  looking  after 
it;  but,  my  curiosity  being  stronger,  I  followed  it,  riding 
close  by  its  side,  and  observed  its  licking  up,  in  its  progress, 
all  the  dust  that  was  under  its  smaller  part.  As  it  is  a  com 
mon  opinion  that  a  shot  fired  through  a  water-spout,  will 
break  it,  I  tried  to  break  this  little  whirlwind,  by  striking  my 
whip  frequently  through  it,  but  without  any  effect.  Soon 
after,  it  quitted  the  road  and  took  into  the  woods,  growing 
every  moment  larger  and  stronger,  raising,  instead  of  dust, 
the  old  dry  leaves,  with  which  the  ground  was  thickly  cov 
ered,  and  making  a  great  noise  with  them  and  the  branches 
of  the  trees,  bending  some  tall  trees  round  in  a  circle,  swiftly 
and  very  surprisingly,  though  the  progressive  motion  of  the 
whirl  was  not  so  swift  but  that  a  man  on  foot  might 
have  kept  space  with  it;  but  the  circular  motion  was  amaz 
ingly  rapid.  By  the  leaves  it  was  now  filled  with,  I  could 
plainly  perceive  that  the  current  of  air  they  were  driven  by, 
moved  upwards  in  a  spiral  line ;  and  when  I  saw  the  passing 
whirl  continue  entire,  after  leaving  the  bodies  and  trunks  of 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FflANKLIN.  185 

large  trees  which,  it  had  enveloped,  I  no  longer  wondered 
that  my  whip  had  no  effect  on  it  in  its  smaller  state.  I  ac 
companied  it  about  three  quarters  of  a  mile,  till  some  limbs 
of  dead  trees,  broken  off  by  the  whirl,  flying  about  and  fall 
ing  near  me,  made  me  more  apprehensive  of  danger;  and 
then  I  stopped,  looking  at  the  top  of  it  as  it  went  on,  which 
was  visible,  by  means  of  the  leaves  contained  in  it,  for  a 
great  height  above  the  trees.  Many  of  the  leaves,  as  they 
got  loose  from  the  upper  and  widest  part,  were  scattered  in 
the  wind ;  but  so  great  was  their  height,  that  they  appeared 
no  bigger  than  flies.  My  son,  who  was  by  this  time  come  up 
with  me,  followed  the  whirlwind  till  it  left  the  woods  and 
crossed  an  old  tobacco-field,  where,  finding  neither  dust  nor 
leaves  to  take  up,  it  gradually  became  invisible  below,  as  it 
went  away  over  that  field.  The  course  of  the  general  wind 
then  blowing  was  along  with  us  as  we  travelled,  and  the 
progressive  motion  of  the  whirlwind  was  in  a  direction 
nearly  opposite,  though  it  did  not  keep  a  straight  line,  nor  was 
its  progressive  motion  uniform,  it  making  little  sallies  on 
either  hand  as  it  went,  proceeding  sometimes  faster  and 
sometimes  slower,  and  seeming  sometimes,  for  a  few  seconds, 
almost  stationary,  then  starting  forward  pretty  fast  again. 

"  When  we  rejoined  the  company,  they  were  admiring  the 
vast  height  of  the  leaves,  now  brought  by  the  common  wind 
over  our  heads.  These  leaves  accompanied  us  as  we  trav 
elled,  some  falling  down  now  and  then  about  us,  and  some 
not  reaching  the  ground  till  we  had  gone  nearly  three  miles 
from  the  place  where  we  first  saw  the  whirlwind  begin. 
Upon  my  asking  Col.  Tasker  if  such  whirlwinds  were  com 
mon  in  Maryland,  he  answered  pleasantly,  'No,  not  at  all 
common;  but  we  got  this  on  purpose  to  treat  Mr.  Franklin.' 
And  a  very  high  treat  it  was." 

Arrived  at  Fredericktown,  "  We  found  the  general,"  says 
Franklin,  "  waiting  impatiently  for  the  return  of  those 
whom  he  had  sent  through  the  back  parts  of  Maryland  and 


186  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

Virginia,  to  collect  wagons.  I  staid  with  him  several  days, 
dined  with  him  daily,  and  had  full  opportunities  of  remov 
ing  his  prejudices." 

One  hundred  and  twenty-five  wagons  were 
needed  for  conveying  the  stores  and  baggage. 
By  the  returns  brought  in,  when  Franklin  was 
about  leaving,  it  appeared  that  only  twenty-five, 
and  some  of  these  unfit  for  service,  had  been  ob 
tained.  The  general  and  all  the  officers  ex 
pressed  much  surprise,  and  declared  the  expe 
dition  impossible,  and  exclaimed  against  the 
ministers  for  ignorantly  sending  them  into  a 
country  so  destitute  of  the  means  of  conveyance. 

"  I  happened,"  says  Franklin,  who  was  always 
happening  to  say  wise  things,  "  to  say  that  I 
thought  it  was  a  pity  they  had  not  been  landed 
in  Pennsyvania,  almost  every  farmer  there  hav 
ing  his  wagon.  The  general  eagerly  laid  hold 
of  my  words,  and  said, '  Then  you,  sir,  who  are  a 
man  of  interest  there,  can  probably  procure  them 
for  us ;  and  I  beg  you  will  undertake  it.' '  The 
terms  were  settled;  and  as  soon  as  Franklin 
reached  Lancaster,  he  published  an  advertise 
ment,  which  produced  "  a  great  and  sudden  ef 
fect." 

He  received  of  Braddock  about  eight  hundred 
pounds,  as  advance  money,  to  the  owners  of 
wagons ;  but  the  sum  being  insufficient,  Franklin 
advanced  upwards  of  two  hundred  pounds.  In 
two  weeks  one  hundred  and  fifty  wagons,  with 
two  hundred  and  fifty-nine  baggage  horses  were 
on  their  way  to  the  camp.  Franklin  also  gave 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  187 

his  bond  as  security  for  indemnity  to  the  owners, 
in  case  of  the  loss  of  any  horses  or  wagons. 

While  he  was  at  the  camp,  supping  one  even 
ing  with  the  officers  of  Col.  D unbar 's  regiment, 
that  officer  expressed  to  him  his  concern  for  the 
subalterns,  whose  small  income  rendered  them 
unable  to  lay  in  stores  enough  for  their  long 
march  through  the  wilderness.  Franklin  imme 
diately  wrote  to  the  Committee  of  the  Assembly, 
who  had  at  their  disposal  some  public  money, 
urging  a  present  to  these  officers  of  suitable  sup 
plies  ;  including  a  list  of  articles  drawn  up  by 
his  son.  The  Committee  approved ;  and  twenty 
parcels,  well  packed,  were  placed  on  as  many 
horses,  one  parcel,  with  the  horse,  for  each  of 
ficer.  Each  parcel  contained 

6  Ibs.  Loaf  Sugar,  1  Gloucester  Cheese, 

6    * '   Muscavado  Sugar,          1  keg  containing  20  Ibs.  good 
1    "   Green  Tea,  butter, 

1    « '   Bohea,  2  doz.  Old  Madeira  Wine, 

6    ' '    Ground  Coffee,  2  gals.  Jamaica  Spirits, 

6    « '   Chocolate,  1  bottle  Flour  of  Mustard, 

1-2  chest  Best  White  Biscuit,  2  Well-cured  Hams, 
1-2  Ib.  Pepper,  1-2  doz.  Dried  Tongue, 

1   qt.  White  Vinegar,  6  Ibs.  Rice, 

6  Ibs.  Eaisins. 

Gen.  Braddock  was  highly  satisfied  with  the 
efficient  help  rendered  by  Franklin.  At  his  re 
quest,  Franklin  also  undertook  to  provide  and 
send  supplies  after  him,  advancing  for  the  pur 
pose  more  than  a  thousand  pounds ;  for  the  pay 
ment  of  which  Braddock  immediately  returned 


188  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

an  order.     But  what  he  had  previously  advanced, 
he  never  received. 

"This  general,"  says  Franklin,  "was,  I  think,  a  brave 
man,  and  might  probably  have  made  a  figure  as  a  good  officer 
in  some  European  war.  Bnt  he  had  too  much  self-confi 
dence,  too  high  an  opinion  of  regular  troops,  and  too  mean  a 
one  of  both  Americans  and  Indians.  George  Croghan,  an 
Indian  interpreter,  joined  him  on  his  march  with  one  hun 
dred  of  those  people,  who  might  have  been  of  great  use  to 
his  army,  as  guides  and  scouts,  if  he  had  treated  them  kindly; 
but  he  slighted  and  neglected  them,  and  they  gradually  left 
him. 

"In  conversation  with  him  one  day,  he  was  giving  me 
some  account  of  his  intended  progress.  '  After  taking  Fort 
Duquesne,'  said  he,  '  I  am  to  proceed  to  Niagara;  and  having 
taken  that,  to  Fronteuac,  if  the  season  will  allow  time,  and  I 
suppose  it  will,  for  Duquesne  can  hardly  detain  me  above 
three  or  four  days,  and  then  I  see  nothing  that  can  obstruct 
my  march  to  Niagara.'  Having  before  resolved  in  my  mind 
the  long  line  his  army  must  make  in  their  march  by  a  very 
narrow  road,  to  be  cut  for  them  through  the  woods  and 
bushes,  and  also  what  I  had  read  of  a  former  defeat  of  fif 
teen  hundred  French,  who  invaded  the  Illinois  country,  I 
had  conceived  some  trouble  and  some  fears  for  the  event  of 
the  campaign.  But  I  ventured  to  suggest  the  danger  from 
Indian  ambuscades  to  a  slender  line,  nearly  four  miles  long, 
exposed  to  sudden  attack  on  the  flank  and  along  its  sides. 

"He  smiled  at  my  ignorance,  and  replied,  '  These  savages 
may  indeed  be  a  formidable  enemy  to  your  raw  American 
militia,  but  upon  the  King's  regular  and  disciplined  troops, 
sir,  it  is  impossible  they  should  make  any  impression.' 

"  The  boastful  general,  with  Col.  George  Washington  as 
his  aid-de-camp,  crossed  the  mountains  for  Fort  Duquesne, 
in  the  month  of  June,  with  about  two  thousand  men.  The 


LITE   OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  189 

terrible  defeat  which  befel  him,  from  his  neglect  to  guard 
against  surprise,  need  not  be  minutely  described.  He  him 
self  was  slain,  more  than  half  his  army  were  killed  or 
wounded,  and  the  rest,  panic-stricken,  made  a  precipitate 
retreat.  The  fugitives,  reaching  Col.  Dunbar's  camp,  who 
had  been  left  some  distance  behind,  to  follow  later  with  the 
heavier  baggage,  communicated  their  terror  to  him  and  his 
troops.  He  had  over  a  thousand  men,  but  so  overwhelmed 
was  he  with  fright,  that  he  ordered  all  the  stores  and  am 
munition  to  be  deserted,  in  order  to  facilitate  his  escape  to  the 
settlements.  There  requests  met  him  from  the  governors  of 
Virginia,  Maryland,  and  Pennsylvania,  that  he  would  post 
his  troops  on  the  frontier,  to  afford  some  protection  to  the 
inhabitants.  But,  as  if  fearing  that  Indians  would  start  out 
from  every  tree  and  bush,  he  rushed  on  through  the  more 
unsettled  country,  and  never  felt  himself  safe  till  he  arrived 
at  Philadelphia,  where  the  inhabitants  could  protect  him  and 
his  valiant  army."  No  wonder  Franklin  adds,  that  "this 
first  transaction  gave  us,  Americans,  the  first  suspicion, 
that  our  exalted  ideas  of  the  power  of  British  regular  troops, 
had  not  been  well  founded." 

This  rout  gave  Franklin  a  great  deal  of  trouble, 
for  the  owners  of  the  wagons  and  horses  came 
upon  him  for  the  valuation  which  he  had  given 
bond  to  pay.  In  the  necessary  delay  of  settle 
ment,  some  of  them  even  sued  him,  and  he  would 
have  been  ruined,  the  sum  demanded  amount 
ing  to  twenty  thousand  pounds,  had  not  Gen. 
Shirley,  who  was  then  governor  of  Massachu 
setts,  and  commander-in-chief  of  his  Majesty's 
forces  in  America,  ordered  an  examination  of  the 
accounts,  and  immediate  payment  to  be  made. 
But  Franklin  never  received  the  full  amount 
that  was  due  him. 


190  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN. 

Franklin  loved  best  the  arts  of  peace,  and 
about  this  time  he  was  much  engaged  in  a  plan 
for  improving  the  condition  of  the  German  popu 
lation  in  the  colonies.  It  was  proposed  to  pro 
vide  missionaries  and  teachers,  and  to  render  such 
relief  as  might  be  needed.  The  majority  of  Ger 
man  immigrants  at  that  period  were  very  igno 
rant,  and  full  of  prejudices  against  the  people  of 
English  descent.  "  Few  of  their  children  in 
the  country,"  says  Franklin;  u  know  English." 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  FEANKLIN.          191 


CHARTER  XXII. 

Meanness  of  the  Proprietaries. — Discord  between 
the  G-overnor  and  the  Assembly.  —  Effect  of 
Braddoctfs  Defeat  in  England.  —  Defence  of 
the  Frontier.  —  Franklin  takes  the  Field.  — 
liaises  Troops  and  Builds  Forts.  —  The  Mora 
vian  Settlements. — Indian  Massacres. —  The 
Moravia  Bishop.  —  The  March.  —  Lloyd's  De 
scription.  —  Indian  Device.  —  Letter  to  His 
Wife.  —  Summoned  to  Philadelphia.  —  Elected 
Colonel.  —  Effect  of  a  Salute.  —  An  Escort.  — 
The  Proprietor  Off  ended.  —  Letter  to  His  Wife. 
—  Description.  — Buff  on.  —  Franklin's  Theory 
of  Electricity  assailed  in  France.  —  Does  not 
Reply.  —  His  Plan  of  Proving  Identity  of 
Electricity  and  Lightning, — Dolibard.  —  Light 
ning  from  the  Clouds.  —  A  Kite.  —  Proves  His 
Theory.  —  The  Eoyal  Society. — A  Gold  Medal. 
— Affection  for  His  Relatives.  —  Letter  to  Mrs. 
Mecom.  —  Benny.  —  Antigua.  —  Letter  to  Mrs. 
Mecom.  —  Jemmy1  %  Dress. 

MONET  was  needed  for  the  defence  of  the 
province,  but  the  Assembly  would  not  pass  bills 
for  that  purpose,  with  a  clause  exempting  the 
proprietary  estates  from  their  share  of  the  bur 
den.  The  governor  again  and  again  remonstrated 


192  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN. 

with  them,  and  rejected  their  money-bills  as  not 
made  according  to  his  wishes,  but  they  stood 
firm  by  their  rights  and  the  rights  of  the  people. 
It  was  only  reasonable,  they  declared,  that  all 
who  were  to  be  protected  should  join  in  meeting 
the  expense.  The  meanness  and  injustice  of  the 
proprietaries  was  loudly  proclaimed  in  England, 
when  the  news  of  Braddock's  defeat  reached 
there.  It  was  openly  said,  If  these  men  obstruct 
the  defence  of  the  province,  they  forfeit  their 
right  to  it.  This  frightened  them  into  sending 
over  an  order  to  add  five  thousand  pounds  of 
their  money  to  what  might  be  given  by  the 
Assembly.  This  was  accepted  for  the  time  in 
place  of  their  share  in  the  general  tax.  Franklin 
was  appointed  one  of  the  commissioners  for  dis 
posing  of  the  money,  which  amounted  to  sixty 
thousand  pounds.  He  also  carried  through  the 
House  a  bill  for  establishing  a  voluntary  militia, 
to  which  the  Quakers  made  no  great  opposition, 
as  they  were  expressly  exempted. 

Hitherto  Franklin  had  served  the  province  in 
a  civil  capacity,  or  as  counsellor  in  military  af 
fairs  ;  he  was  now  to  take  the  field  as  a  mili 
tary  commander.  The  northwestern  frontier  of 
the  province  was  infested  by  the  enemy,  and  the 
governor  prevailed  on  Franklin  to  take  charge 
of  its  defence,  by  raising  troops,  and  building  a 
line  of  forts.  He  was  invested  with  the  powers 
of  a  general,  and  was  authorized  to  appoint  such 
persons  for  officers  as  he  thought  competent. 
He  soon  had  five  hundred  and  sixty  men  under 
his  command,  his  son  acting  as  aid-de-camp. 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FKANKLIN.  193 

The  Moravian  settlement,  in  the  County  of 
Northampton,  was  then  suffering  terribly  from 
the  Indians.  Gnadenhutten,  one  of  their  villages, 
had  been  burned,  and  the  inhabitants  massacred. 
It  was  proposed  to  build  a  fort  there,  and  prepar 
atory  to  that  Franklin  assembled  the  companies 
at  Bethlehem,  the  chief  establishment  of  these 
people.  He  found  it  in  a  good  state  of  defence. 
"The  principal  buildings,"  lie  says,  "were  defended  by  a 
stockade ;  they  had  purchased  a  quantity  of  arms  and  ammu 
nition  from  New  York,  and  had  even  placed  quantities  of 
small  paving-stones  between  the  windows  of  their  high  stone 
houses,  for  their  women  to  throw  them  down  upon  the  heads 
of  any  Indian  that  should  attempt  to  force  an  entrance  into 
them.  The  armed  brethren,  too,  kept  watch,  and  relieved 
each  other  on  guard,  as  methodically  as  in  any  garrison 
town.  In  conversation  with  the  bishop,  Spangenberg,  I 
mentioned  my  surprise ;  for,  knowing  that  they  had  obtained 
an  act  of  Parliament  exempting  them  from  military  duties 
in  the  colonies,  I  had  supposed  they  were  conscientiously 
scrupulous  about  bearing  arms.  He  answered  me,  that  it 
was  not  one  of  their  established  principles ;  but  that,  at  the 
time  of  their  obtaining  that  act,  it  was  thought  to  be  a  prin 
ciple  with  many  of  their  people.  On  this  occasion,  however, 
they,  to  their  surprise,  found  it  adopted  by  but  a  few." 

It  was  the  beginning  of  January  when  Frank 
lin,  having  sent  two  detachments  in  different 
directions  to  build  forts,  set  out  himself  for 
Gnadenhutten,  the  tools,  stores  and  baggage  be 
ing  carried  in  five  wagons. 

Just  before  leaving  Bethlehem,  eleven  farmers, 
who  had  been  driven  from  their  plantations  by 
the  Indians,  came  to  him  requesting  firearms  that 


194  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

they  might  go  back  and  bring  off  their  cattle. 

It  rained  nearly  all  day.  There  were  no  hab 
itations  on  the  road,  till  they  arrived,  near  night, 
at  the  house  of  a  German,  "  where,  and  in  his 
barn,"  says  Franklin,  "  we  were  all  huddled  to 
gether  as  wet  as  water  could  make  us." 

It  was  worse  for  the  poor  farmers,  ten  out  of 
the  eleven  having  been  killed  that  day  by  their 
savage  enemies,  their  guns  being  rendered  use 
less  by  the  rain,  which  wet  the  priming. 

The  next  day  Franklin  arrived  at  Gnaden- 
hutten,  where  he  found,  says  Lloyd,  who  was  one 
of  the  party,  "  a  scene  of  horror  and  destruction. 

"  Where  lately  flourished  a  happy  and  peaceful  village,  it 
is  now  all  silent  and  desolate ;  the  houses  burnt ;  the  inhabit 
ants  butchered  in  the  most  shocking  manner;  their  mangled 
bodies,  for  want  of  funerals,  exposed  to  birds  and  beasts  of 
prey;  and  all  kinds  of  mischief  perpetrated,  that  wanton 
cruelty  can  invent;"  and  he  adds,  "Mr.  Franklin  will,  at 
least,  deserve  a  statue  for  his  prudence,  justice,  humanity, 
and,  above  all,  for  his  patience." 

First  of  all,  the  commander  buried  the  dead, 
and  not  till  the  next  day  did  he  commence  work 
on  the  fort.  In  a  week's  time  the  fort  was  fin 
ished,  a  flag  was  hoisted,  and  a  swivel  mounted, 
which  was  fired,  to  inform  the  Indians,  if  any 
were  within  hearing,  what  means  of  defence 
were  on  hand. 

Some  of  the  days  were  rainy,  and  then  no 
work  was  done  ;  and  Franklin  observed  that  on 
the  work-days  they  were  good-natured  and 
cheerful,  but  on  idle  days  in  bad  humor.  He 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  195 

was  reminded,  he  says,  of  a  sea-captain,  whose 
rule  it  was  to  keep  his  men  constantly  at  work  ; 
and  when  his  mate  once  told  him  that  they  had 
done  everything,  and  there  was  nothing  further 
to  employ  them  about,  "  Oh,"  said  he,  "make 
them  scour  the  anchor." 

From  the  fort,  Franklin  went  out  with  parties 
to  scour  the  adjacent  country.  No  Indians  were 
to  be  seen,  but  Franklin's  observant  eye  noticed 
a  contrivance  of  theirs,  where  some  had  been 
encamped,  to  prevent  the  light  of  their  fires  dis 
covering  where  they  were. 

"  They  had  dug  holes,  in  the  ground,  about  three  feet 
in  diameter,  and  somewhat  deeper;  we  found  where  they 
had,  with  their  hatchets,  cut  off  the  charcoal  from  the  sides 
of  burnt  logs  lying  in  the  woods.  With  these  coals  they  had 
made  small  fires  in  the  bottom  of  the  holes,  and  we  observed 
among  the  weeds  and  grass  the  prints  of  their  bodies,  made 
by  their  lying  all  round,  with  their  legs  hanging  down  in 
the  holes  to  keep  their  feet  warm." 

During  his  absence,  Franklin  kept  up  a  lively 
communication  with  home.  The  day  he  started 
for  Gnadenhutten,  Jan.  15,  he  wrote  to  his  wife, 
whom  he  addressed  as  "  My  dear  child,"  telling 
her  to  make  herself  easy  about  him,  and  that  he 
hoped  within  a  fortnight  to  be  in  Philadelphia. 
Ten  days  later,  he  wrote  to  her : 

"  We  have  enjoyed  your  roast  beef,  and  this  day  began  on 
the  roast  veal.  .  .  .  Your  citizens,  that  have  their  din 
ners  hot  and  hot,  know  nothing  of  good  eating.  We  find  it 
in  much  greater  perfection  when  the  kitchen  is  four-score 
miles  from  the  dining-room.  The  apples  are  extremely  wel- 


196  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

come,  and  do  bravely  to  eat  after  our  salt  pork;  the  minced 
pies  are  not  yet  come  to  hand,  but  I  suppose  we  shall  find 
them  among  the  things  expected  up  from  Bethlehem  on 
Tuesday As  to  our  lodging,  it  is  on  deal  feather- 
beds,  in  warm  blankets,  and  much  more  comfortable  than 
when  we  lodged  at  our  inn,  the  first  night  after  we  left 
home ;  for,  the  woman  being  about  to  put  very  damp  sheets 
on  the  bed,  we  desired  her  to  air  them  first;  half  an  hour 
afterwards,  she  told  me  the  bed  was  ready,  and  the  sheets 
well  aired.  I  got  into  bed,  but  jumped  out  immediately, 
finding  them  as  cold  as  death,  and  partly  frozen.  She  had 
aired  them  indeed,  but  it  was  out  upon  the  hedge.  I  was 
forced  to  wrap  myself  up  in  my  great-coat  and  woolen  trow- 
sers." 

Another  letter,  five  days  later,  concludes  with 
"  I  am,  dear  girl,  your  loving  husband." 

While  at  Bethlehem,  lie  inquired  into  the  cus 
toms  of  the  Moravians,  and  attended  some  of 
their  religious  services. 

He  had  no  sooner  completed  the  forts,  and 
stored  them  with  provisions,  than  he  was  sum 
moned  back  to  Philadelphia,  by  a  letter  from  the 
Governor.  The  Assembly  had  been  convened, 
and  his  presence  was  much  desired.  He  turned 
over  his  command  to  Col.  Clapham,  an  English 
officer  experienced  in  Indian  war,  and  directed  his 
face  toward  home,  having  an  escort  back  as  far 
as  Bethlehem.  Here  he  rested  a  few  days. 
"  The  first  night,"  he  says,  "  lying  in  a  good 
bed,  I  could  hardly  sleep,  it  was  so  different 
from  my  hard  lodging  on  the  floor  of  a  hut  at 
Gnadenhutten,  with  only  a  blanket  or  two." 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  197 

Being  returned  to  Philadelphia,  he  found  that 
the  inhabitants,  all  but  the  Quakers,  had  formed 
themselves  into  military  companies,  and  chosen 
their  officers.  Franklin  was  made  colonel  of  the 
regiment,  which  numbered  about  twelve  hun 
dred  men,  with  a  company  of  artillery.  The 
first  time  he  reviewed  them,  they  gave  him  a 
salute  before  his  door,  which  shook  down  and 
broke  several  glasses  of  his  electrical  apparatus. 
His  new  honors,  he  says,  proved  not  much  less 
brittle,  for  the  law  under  which  the  Association 
had  been  organized  being  soon  repealed  in  Eng 
land,  all  the  commissions  were  broken. 

"During  this  short  term  of  my  colonelship,"  says  Frank 
lin,  "  being  about  to  set  out  on  a  journey  to  Virginia,  the 
officers  of  my  regiment  took  it  into  their  heads  to  escort  me 
out  of  town.  Just  as  I  was  getting  on  horseback,  they  came 
to  my  door,  between  thirty  and  forty,  mounted,  and  all  in 
their  uniforms."  He  was  taken  by  surprise,  and  "  a  good 
deal  chagrined  at  their  appearance,  especially  as,  when  they 
began  to  move,  they  drew  their  swords,  and  rode  with  them 
naked  all  the  way." 

The  Proprietor  was  greatly  offended ;  no  such 
honor,  he  said,  had  been  paid  to  him,  when  in 
the  province,  or  to  any  of  his  governors ;  and, 
moreover,  such  display  was  proper  only  for 
princes  of  the  blood  royal. 

The  Proprietor,  Thomas  Penn,  had  always 
disliked  Franklin  for  opposing  in  the  Assembly 
his  exemption  from  taxation,  and  now  his  hos 
tility  was  much  increased.  He  endeavored  to 
effect  Franklin's  removal  from  his  office  of  Po&t- 
master  General ;  but  in  vain. 


198  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FEANKLIN. 

During  his  absence  of  two  months  in  Virginia, 
on  the  business  of  the  post-office,  Franklin  did 
not  forget  his  home.  He  wrote  to  his  wife  from 
Fredericktown,  March  21st,  addressing  her  again 
as  "  My  dear  child."  Peter,  one  of  his  servants, 
had  been  taken  sick,  and  Franklin  tells  how  he 
bled  him,  and  dosed  him  with  camomile  tea. 
He  also  wished  that  Dr.  Bond  would  send  him 
some  of  his  good  pills  by  post.  "  My  duty  to 
mother,  and  love  to  Sally  [his  daughter],  Debby, 
Gracy,  &c.,  not  forgetting  the  Goody.  I  am, 
my  dear  child,  your  loving  husband."  On  the 
30th,  he  writes  from  Williamsburg. 

"MY  DEAB  CHILD: 

"  I  wrote  to  you  via  New  York  the  day  after  my  arrival, 
acquainting  you  that  I  had  a  fine  journey  and  passage  down 
the  Bay.  ...  I  have  been  well  ever  since,  quite  clear  of 
the  di/ziness  I  complained  of,  and  as  gay  as  a  bird,  not  be 
ginning  yet  to  long  for  home,  the  worry  of  perpetual  busi 
ness  being  yet  fresh  in  my  memory.  Mr.  Hunter  [joint 
Postmaster  General]  is  much  better  than  I  expected  to  find 
him,  and  we  are  daily  employed  in  settling  our  affairs. 
About  the  end  of  the  week  we  are  to  take  a  tour  into  the 
country.  Virginia  is  a  pleasant  country,  now  in  full  spring; 
the  people  obliging  and  polite.  .  .  . 
"  I  am,  dear  Debby, 

"Tom  LOVING  HUSBAND." 

We  have  already  spoken  of  the  manner  in 
which  Franklin's  important  experiments  and 
discoveries  were  at  first  received  in  England. 
A  copy  of  his  papers,  soon  after,  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  philosopher  Buffon,  \vho  got  them 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  199 

translated  into  French.  They  were  assailed  by 
the  Abbe*  Nollet,  who  had  formed  a  different 
theory  of  electricity.  He  could  not  believe  that 
such  a  work  came  from  America,  or  that  such  a 
person  as  Franklin  really  existed.  The  whole 
thing  was  a  fabrication.  But,  being  convinced 
of  our  philosopher's  existence,  he  wrote  a  volume 
defending  his  own  theory,  and  denying  the  valid 
ity  of  Franklin's  experiments. 

At  first  Franklin  thought  of  replying,  but  con 
cluded  to  let  his  papers  k< shift  for  themselves;  " 
which  he  was  afterwards  glad  of,  as  a  friend,  a 
member  of  the  Royal  Academy  of  Sciences, 
took  up  his  cause  and  defended  him.  Franklin's 
book  began  to  attract  universal  attention.  It 
was  translated  into  Italian,  German  and  Latin, 
and  its  views  were  gradually  adopted  throughout 
Europe.  His  opponent,  the  Abbe",  lived  to  see 
himself  the  last  of  his  sect,  with  a  single  excep 
tion,  one  lone  disciple  still  cleaving  to  him. 

Franklin,  years  before,  had  suggested  and 
partially  proved  the  identity  of  electricity  and 
lightning,  and  had  indicated  a  method  of  deter 
mining  the  question. 

"  On  the  top  of  some  high  tower  or  steeple,  place  a  kind 
of  sentry-box,  big  enough  to  contain  a  man  and  an  electric 
stand.  From  the  middle  of  the  stand  let  an  iron  rod  rise, 
and  pass  bending  out  of  the  door,  and  then  upright  twenty 
or  thirty  feet,  pointed  very  sharp  at  the  end.  If  the  elec 
trical  stand  be  kept  clean  and  dry,  a  man  standing  on  it, 
when  such  clouds  are  passing  low,  might  be  electrified  and 
afford  sparks,  the  rod  drawing  fire  to  him  from  a  cloud.  If 


200          LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN. 

any  danger  to  the  man  should  be  apprehended  (though  1 
think  there  would  be  none),  let  him  stand  on  the  floor  of 
his  box,  and  now  and  then  bring  near  to  the  rod,  the  loop  of 
a  wire  that  has  one  end  fastened  to  the  leads,  he  holding 
it  by  a  wax  handle ;  so  the  sparks,  if  the  rod  is  electrified, 
will  strike  from  the  rod  to  the  wire,  and  not  affect  him." 

America  then  furnishing  no  such  suitable  place 
for  the  experiment,  it  was  deferred,  till  it  had 
been  made  by  Dalibard  in  France.  He  drew 
lightning  from  the  clouds,  and  demonstrated  the 
truth  of  Franklin's  theory.  De  Lor,  also,  re 
peated  what  he  called  the  Philadelphia  Experi 
ments,  before  the  king  and  court,  and  crowds  of 
Parisians. 

Dalibard's  experiment  was  made  on  the  10th 
of  May,  1752.  The  next  month  Franklin,  with 
out  knowing  what  success  had  followed  his  sug 
gestion  in  France,  himself  completed  his  great 
discovery  in  Philadelphia.  He  had  waited  some 
five  years  for  the  erection  of  a  spire,  by  means 
of  which  he  could  verify  his  theory,  first  con 
ceived  in  1747,  but  now  it  occurred  to  him  that 
by  means  of  a  kite,  he  might  more  readily  have 
communication  with  the  clouds.  He  fastened 
two  cross  sticks  to  a  silk  handkerchief,  the  up 
right  one  having  an  iron  point.  The  string  was 
of  hemp,  except  what  was  held  by  the  hand, 
which  was  of  silk.  A  key  was  attached  to  the 
string,  just  above  the  silk.  Every  thing  being 
ready,  he  watched  for  a  thunder-cloud,  and  see 
ing  one  approaching,  he  went  forth  into  a  field 
in  the  suburbs  of  the  city,  accompanied  only  by 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN    FBANKLIN.  201 

his  son,  for  fear  of  the  ridicule  that  might  come 
from  a  failure.  To  avoid  the  rain,  he  went  un 
der  a  shed ;  the  kite  was  sent  forth  on  its  great 
mission ;  but  there  was  no  response  from  the 
cloud.  He  looks  more  carefully  at  the  string. 
There  is  a  singular  appearance,  similar  to  what 
he  had  noticed  in  his  electrical  experiments  — 
the  loose  fibres  assume  an  erect  position.  There 
must  be  electricity  there.  He  applies  his  knuckle 
to  the  key,  and  receives  a  strong  spark  !  The 
thunder-cloud  is  a  Leyden  jar.  His  theory  is 
true ! 

We  know  that  Franklin  was  not  a  man  to 
easily  give  way  to  raptures,  but  there  can  be  no 
doubt  his  emotions  were,  at  that  moment,  of  the 
most  exquisite  kind.  The  fear  of  possible  fail 
ure  had  given  place  to  the  exhilaration  of  cer 
tainty,  and  what  a  certainty  !  Again  and  again 
he  draws  sparks  from  the  key,  no  longer  now  to 
prove  his  speculation,  but  for  the  simple  delight 
of  witnessing  the  wonderful  phenomenon.  He 
knows  he  has  made  a  great  discovery,  but  as  yet 
he  is  ignorant  that  his  fame  has  spread  over 
Europe.  The  next  ship  brings  him  the  agreea 
ble  intelligence.  Even  the  Royal  Society  of 
London  has  hastened  to  correct  its  blunder. 
That  learned  body,  having  learned  that  the 
theory  of  the  American  philosopher  had  been 
proved  in  France,  had  come  to  the  wise  conclu 
sion  that  he  was  not  a  person  to  be  laughed  at. 
They  had  voted  to  publish  in  their  Transactions 
those  very  papers  which  they  had  once  rejected 


202  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

as  unworthy  of  notice.  Some  of  the  members 
had  repeated  the  experiments  of  drawing  light 
ning  from  the  clouds  b}r  a  pointed  rod.  To 
crown  his  triumph,  the  next  year,  1753,  without 
any  application  from  himself,  he  was  chosen  a 
member,  and  excused  the  customary  fee  of  twen 
ty-five  guineas ;  the  Transactions  were  ever 
after  sent  him  gratis,  and  he  was  voted  a  gold 
medal,  the  President  accompanjdng  the  delivery 
of  it  with  a  eulogistic  speech. 

With  all  his  public  cares  upon  him,  and  all  his 
public  honors,  Franklin  ever  retained  a  lively 
interest  in  the  welfare  of  his  relatives.  He  al 
ways  looked  after  their  private  interests,  and,  if 
an  opportunity  offered,  he  had  no  scruples  about 
putting  them  into  some  public  office.  Soon 
after  his  return  from  Virginia,  under  date  of 
June  28th,  1756,  he  wrote  to  his  sister,  Mrs. 
Mecom,  about  her  son  Benny,  whom  her  brother 
had  established  as  a  printer  in  Antigua.  Her 
letter  was  full  of  thanks,  to  which  he  replied : 

"DEAB  SISTER: 

"  I  received  your  letter  of  extravagant  thanks,  which  put 
me  in  mind  of  the  story  of  the  member  of  Parliament,  who 
began  one  of  his  speeches  with  saying  he  thanked  God  that 
lie  was  born  and  bred  a  Presbyterian ;  on  which  another  took 
leave  to  observe  that  the  gentleman  must  needs  be  of  a 
most  grateful  disposition,  since  he  was  thankful  for  such 
very  small  matters." 

Benny  seems  to  have  become  dissatisfied  with 
the  arrangement  made  by  his  uncle,  and  had  re 
solved  to  quit  Antigua.  His  mother  was  anx- 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  203 

ious  to  know  what  had  led  the  young  man  to 
take  this  apparently  hasty  step,  and  to  her 
inquiry,  her  brother  made  reply : 

"  When  I  set  him  up  at  Antigua,  he  was  to  have  the  use 
of  the  printing-house,  allowing  me  one-third  part  of  the 
profits.  After  this,  finding  him  diligent  and  careful,  for  his 
encouragement,  I  relinquished  that  agreement,  and  let  him 
know  that,  as  you  were  removed  into  a  dearer  house,  if  he 
paid  you  yearly  a  certain  sum,  I  forget  what  it  was,  towards 
discharging  your  rent,  and  another  small  sum  to  me,  in 
sugar  and  rum,  for  my  family  use,  he  need  keep  no  farther 
accounts  of  the  profits,  but  should  enjoy  all  the  rest  himself. 
I  cannot  remember  what  the  whole  of  both  payments 
amounted  to,  but  I  think  they  did  not  exceed  twenty  pounds 
a  year. 

"  The  truth  is,  I  intended  from  the  first  to  give  him  the 
printing-house ;  but,  as  he  was  young  and  inexperienced  in 
the  world,  I  thought  it  best  not  to  do  it  immediately ;  but  to 
keep  him  a  little  dependent  for  a  time,  to  check  the  flighty 
unsteadiness  of  temper  which,  on  several  occasions,  he  had 
discovered ;  and  what  I  received  from  him  I  concluded  to  lay 
out  in  new  types,  that,  when  I  should  give  it  to  him  en 
tirely,  it  might  be  worthy  his  acceptance;  and,  if  I  should 
die  first,  I  put  it  in  my  will  that  the  letters  should  be  all 
new  cast  for  him." 

But  the  proposal  of  paying  an  annual  sum  did 
not  suit  the  young  man ;  he  wanted  his  uncle 
to  name  a  certain  sum  for  the  printing  office,  and 
allow  him  to  pay  it  off  in  instalments,  and  have 
the  yearly  tribute  cease.  He  loved  freedom,  he 
said,  and  could  not  bear  dependence  on  any  man, 
though  he  were  the  best  man  living.  Franklin 
informs  his  sister  that  for  a  long  time  he  took  no 


204  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

notice  of  his  nephew's  letter,  which  chafed  him 
the  more,  till  he  resolved  to  abandon  the  island. 
A  third  very  resolute  letter  was  answered. 
Franklin  inquired  where  his  nephew  thought  of 
going,  and  mentioned  the  sum  for  which  the 
property  might  be  sold ;  if  the  person  who  had 
applied  for  it  would  not  give  that  amount,  every 
thing  was  to  be  packed  up  and  sent  home.  He 
added  at  the  close,  that  "  the  things  "  had  all  ar 
rived,  and  that  he  hoped  Benny  would  do  better 
somewhere  else,  though  he  feared  it  would  be 
years  before  he  was  cured  of  his  fickleness. 

The  following  December  Franklin  wrote 
again : 

"You  will  receive  this  by  the  hand  of  your  son  Benja 
min,  on  whose  safe  return  from  the  West  Indies  I  sincerely 
congratulate  you. 

"  He  has  settled  accounts  with  me,  and  paid  the  balance 
honorably.  He  has  also  cleared  the  old  printing-house  to 
himself,  and  sent  it  to  Boston,  where  he  proposes  to  set  up 
his  business,  together  with  bookselling,  which,  considering 
his  industry  and  frugality,  I  make  no  doubt  will  answer. 
He  has  good  credit  and  some  money  in  England,  and  I  have 
helped  him  by  lending  him  a  little  more ;  so  that  he  may  ex 
pect  a  cargo  of  books,  and  a  quantity  of  new  letter,  in  the 
spring:  and  I  shall,  from  time  to  time,  furnish  him  with 
paper.  We  all  join  in  love  to  you  and  yours, 
"lam, 

"YouB  LOVING  BEOTHEB." 

This  was  the  "  Benny "  who,  when  some 
years  before,  apprenticed  by  Franklin  to  Mr. 
Parker,  at  New  York,  complained  to  his  mother 
that  his  master  did  not  furnish  him  with  good 


:LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.        205 

enough  clothes.     Franklin  hearing  of  the  com 
plaint,  wrote  to  his  sister  about  it. 

"I  never  knew  an  apprentice  contented  with  the  clothes 
allowed  him  by  his  master,  let  them  be  what  they  would. 
Jemmy  Franklin,  [this  was  his  brother  James'  son,]  when 
he  was  with  me,  was  always  dissatisfied  and  grumbling. 
When  I  was  last  in  Boston,  his  aunt,  [i.  e.  Mrs.  Franklin], 
bid  him  go  to  a  shop  and  please  himself,  which  the  gentle 
man  did,  and  bought  a  suit  of  clothes  on  my  account,  dearer 
by  one-half  than  any  I  ever  afforded  myself,  one  suit  ex- 
cepted;  which  I  don't  mention  by  way  of  complaint  of 
Jemmy,  for  he  and  I  are  good  friends,  but  only  to  show  you 
the  nature  of  boys." 


206  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 


CHAPTER  XXHI. 

Governor  Denny.  —  Entertainment  in  his  Honor. 

—  Presents  the  Gold  Medal  to  Franklin.  —  In 
terview  with  Franklin.  —  Franklin's  Indepen 
dence.  —  New  Disputes.  —  Conference  with  the 
Indians.  — At  Easton.  —  Letter  to  his  Wife. — 
Broom-corn.  —  The  Proprietary  still  Obstinate. 

—  Franklin  Appointed  Agent  to  Petition  the 
Crown  Against  Him.  — Arrival  of  Lord  Lou- 
down.  —  He  Meets  the  Governor  and  Franklin. 
— Resolution  in  the  Assembly. —  /Suspension  cf 
Rights. —  Prepares  to  go  to  England. —  Goes  to 
New  York. —  Letter  to  his  Wife. —  Long  Delay. 

—  Letter  to  his  Sister.  —  Care  of  the  Aged.  — 
Another  Letter.  —  Benny  Thinks  of  Marriage. 

—  Miss  Betsey.  — Letter  to  his  Wife. —  To  his 
Sister.  —  Peter  Mecom.  —  Honesty   in   Busi 
ness. —  Letter  to  his  Wife. — A  Large  Fleet. 
— Chased  by  Hostile  Ships. — The  Scilly  Rocks. 

—  G-reat  Peril.  —  Off  Falmoutk.  —  Letter  to 
his  Wife.  — In  London. 

IN  the  year  1756,  Gov.  Morris  was  superseded 
by  Capt.  William  Denny.  The  people  of  the 
province  were  glad  of  a  change,  hoping,  though 
without  sufficient  grounds,  that  he  would  be 
more  favorable  to  their  interests.  Accordingly, 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN.  207 

when  the  proprietary  mayor  and  corporation  of 
Philadelphia  made  an  entertainment  in  his  honor, 
the  members  of  the  Assembly,  sharing  the  gen 
eral  feeling,  accepted  an  invitation  to  be  present. 
Franklin  was  one  of  the  company,  willing,  with 
others,  to  give  a  respectful  welcome  to  the  new 
ruler.  He,  on  his  part,  knowing  Franklin's  high 
standing  and  powerful  influence,  was  glad  of  so 
good  an  opportunity  of  paying  his  respects  to 
the  man  whom  the  world  honored,  and  who  had 
it  greatly  in  his  power  to  aid  or  obstruct  his  ad 
ministration.  He  had  brought  over  with  him 
the  gold  medal,  voted  by  the  Royal  Society,  and 
at  the  dinner,  presented  it  to  Franklin,  accompa 
nied  with  "many  polite  expressions  of  esteem." 
And  after  dinner,  when  the  company  were  en 
joying  their  wine,  he  took  Franklin  aside,  and 
told  him  that  he  had  been  advised  by  friends  in 
England  to  cultivate  a  friendship  with  him,  as 
one  capable  of  giving  him  the  best  advice.  He 
wished,  therefore,  to  be  on  the  most  cordial 
terms  with  him,  and  assured  him  of  his  readiness 
to  do  him  any  service  in  his  power.  The  pro 
prietor,  he  said,  wished  well  to  the  province,  and 
it  would  certainly  be  for  the  advantage  of  all 
parties,  if  there  could  be  harmony  between  him 
and  the  people.  He  should  look  to  Franklin  as 
his  main  reliance  in  bringing  about  a  good  feel 
ing;  and  he  might  depend  on  adequate  rewards. 
Some  wine  having  been  sent  to  the  governor, 
of  which  he  made  liberal  use,  he  became  more 
and  more  profuse  in  his  compliments,  solicita 
tions,  and  promises. 


208          LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN. 

Franklin  was  not  to  be  entrapped  by  sucli 
flattery.  He  thanked  the  governor  for  his  kind 
words.  He  replied  courteously,  but  assured  him 
that  he  had  no  favors  to  ask  of  the  proprietor, 
and  that,  as  a  member  of  the  Assembly,  he  could 
not  accept  of  any ;  but  that  he  would  be  evei 
ready  to  forward  any  measures  proposed  by  the 
proprietor,  which  seemed  to  be  for  the  public 
good.  He  hoped  that  the  governor  was  not  to 
be  hampered  by  such  unfortunate  instructions 
as  his  predecessors  had  been. 

The  governor  made  no  reply  to  this,  as  he 
could  not  well  do.  The  disputes  with  the  As 
sembly  were  soon  renewed,  and  Franklin,  true 
to  his  word,  was  as  active  as  ever  in  the  opposi 
tion.  Socially,  however,  he  and  the  governor 
were  on  friendly  terms.  Denny  was  a  man  of 
letters,  bad  seen  much  of  the  world,  and  was  en 
tertaining  in  conversation.  From  him  Franklin 
learned  that  Ralph  was  in  high  repute  in  Eng 
land  as  a  political  writer,  and  was  enjoying  a 
pension  of  three  hundred  pounds  a  year. 

A  few  months  after  Denny  came  into  power, 
a  conference  was  appointed  with  the  Indians, 
who,  instigated  by  the  French,  had  given  much 
trouble  to  the  province.  The  conference  con 
sisted  of  the  governor  and  members  of  the 
Council,  and  several  members  of  the  Assembly. 
They  met  at  Easton  on  the  8th  of  November, 
1756.  The  Indians,  through  Teed}Tuscung,  king 
of  the  Delawares,  made  grievous  complaints,  to 
which  the  governor  replied.  No  very  satisfac- 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN    FHANKLIN.  209 

lory  result  was  readied,  the  chief  proposing  an 
other  council  in  the  spring. 

While  at  Easton,  Franklin,  ever  mindful  of 
home,  wrote  to  his  wife  in  a  strain  of  feigned 
displeasure : 

"  MY  DEAR  CHILD  : 

"  I  wrote  to  you  a  few  days  since  by  a  special  messenger, 
and  enclosed  letters  for  all  our  wives  and  sweethearts,  ex 
pecting  to  hear  from  you  by  his  return,  and  to  have  the 
northern  newspapers  and  English  letters  per  the  packet;  but 
he  is  just  now  returned  without  a  scrap  for  poor  us.  So  I 
had  a  good  mind  not  to  write  to  you  by  this  opportunity ; 
but  I  never  can  be  ill-natured  enough  even  where  there  is 
the  most  occasion.  The  messenger  says  he  left  the  letters 
at  your  house,  and  saw  you  afterwards  at  Mr.  Duche's,  and 
told  you  when  he  would  go,  and  that  he  lodged  at  Honey's, 
next  door  to  you,  and  yet  you  did  not  write ;  so  let  Goody 
Smith  give  one  more  just  judgment,  and  say  what  should 
be  done  to  you.  I  think  I  won't  tell  you  that  we  are  well, 
nor  that  we  expect  to  return  about  the  middle  of  the  week, 
nor  will  I  send  you  a  word  of  news;  that's  poz. 

"  My  duty  to  mother,  love  to  the  children,  and  to  Miss 
Betsy  and  Gracy,  etc.,  etc. 

"  I  am,  your  loving  husband, 

"  B.  FRANKLIN. 

"  P.  S.  — I  have  scratched  out  the  loving  words,  being  writ 
in  haste  by  mistake,  when  I  forgot  I  was  angry." 

A  few  months  after  this,  in  a  short  letter  to 
his  sister  Jane,  under  date  of  February  21st,  he 
communicates  what  has  became  an  interesting 
piece  of  information,  his  helping  to  bring  into 
notice  the  broom-corn,  from  which  has  since 
grown  a  large  branch  of  manufacture : 


210  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FEANKLDT. 

"  I  enclose  you  some  whisk  seed ;  it  is  a  kind  of  corn,  good 
for  creatures;  it  must  be  planted  in  hills,  like  Indian  corn. 
The  tops  make  the  best  thatch  in  the  world ;  and  of  the  same 
are  made,  the  whisks  you  use  for  velvet.  Pray  try  if  it  will 
grow  with  you.  I  brought  it  from  Virginia.  Give  some  to 
Mr.  Cooper,  some  to  Mr.  Bowdoin." 

To  return  to  the  political  affairs  of  the  prov 
ince. 

The  proprietary  continued  obstinate,  and  the 
Assembly  resolved  to  petition  the  king  against 
him  and  his  subordinates.  Franklin  was  chosen 
their  agent  to  go  to  England  and  present  and 
support  their  petition,  which  might  claim  the 
greater  consideration  as  it  showed  the  proprietor 
to  be  regardless  not  only  of  the  interests  of  the 
people,  but  of  the  crown.  A  bill  for  granting 
six  thousand  pounds  to  the  king's  use  had  been 
rejected  by  the  governor,  according  to  instruc 
tions  from  his  superior. 

Franklin  accepted  the  commission,  and  had 
made  his  arrangements  to  sail,  when  Lord  Lou- 
doun,  who  was  then  in  command  of  the  royal 
troops  at  New  York,  arrived  at  Philadelphia, 
for  the  purpose  of  effecting  an  accommodation 
between  the  contending  parties.  He  met  the 
Governor  and  Franklin.  The  latter  pleaded  the 
cause  of  the  Assembly,  showing  the  injustice 
of  the  proprietary  administration ;  the  former 
pleaded  his  instructions,  which  he  was  s worn  to 
obey,  and  which  he  could  not  disregard  without 
ruin.  If  his  lordship,  however,  would  advise 
his  breaking  his  agreement,  he  was  not  unwill- 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN    FBANKLIN.  211 

ing  to  hazard  the  result.  Franklin  tried  to 
prevail  upon  Lord  Loudoun  to  do  so,  but  in 
vain ;  for  at  last  he  was  himself  urged  to  per 
suade  the  Assembly  to  submission.  His  lordship 
further  said  that  the  province  must  go  unpro 
tected,  unless  it  would  provide  for  its  own  de 
fence  ;  he  had  no  troops  to  spare. 

Franklin  acquainted  the  House  with  what  had 
passed,  and  then  presented  a  series  of  resolu 
tions,  declaring  that  the  rights  of  the  Assembly 
were  not  relinquished,  but  only  suspended  on 
the  present  occasion,  through  compulsion,  against 
which  they  protested.  On  this  ground  a  new 
bill  was  passed,  conformable  to  the  proprietary's 
wishes,  which  was  signed  by  the  Governor. 

The  controversy  was,  of  course,  not  ended. 
There  was  the  same  necessity  as  before,  that 
Franklin  should  proceed  on  his  mission.  The 
packet  in  which  he  had  engaged  a  passage  was 
gone,  with  his  sea-stores,  which  loss  was  only 
recompensed  by  his  lordship's  thanks  for  his 
services,  and  he  had  to  go  to  New  York  to  find 
a  ship.  On  his  way,  he  wrote  to  his  wife  from 
Trenton : 

"  MY  DEAB  CHILD: 

"  About  a  dozen  of  our  friends  accompanied  us  quite 
hither,  to  see  us  out  of  the  province,  and  we  spent  a  very 
agreeable  evening  together.  I  leave  home,  and  undertake 
this  long  voyage  the  more  cheerfully,  as  I  can  rely  on  your 
prudence  in  the  management  of  my  affairs  and  education  of 
our  dear  child;  and  yet  I  cannot  forbear  once  more  recom- 


212  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  FKANKLIN. 

mending  her  to  you  with  a  father's  tenderest  concern.    My 
love  to  all. 

"  I  am,  your  affectionate  husband, 

"B.  FRANKLIN." 

He  reached  New  York  the  day  set  by  Lord 
Loudoun,  who  was  already  there,  but  the  time 
of  sailing  was  deferred  from  day  to  day  for  many 
weeks,  while  unwilling  passengers  were  kept 
waiting  for  the  great  man's  letters,  which  were 
alwa}^s  to  be  ready  to-morrow. 

While  in  New  York,  Franklin  wrote  some 
letters  to  friends  in  Philadelphia,  which  he  put 
into  the  hands  of  a  messenger  who  had  arrived 
thence  with  despatches  from  Gov.  Denny  for  the 
general,  and  expected  to  return  at  once.  "  I  am 
to  receive  my  answers  to-morrow,"  said  the  mes 
senger,  "  and  then  shall  set  out  on  my  return 
immediately."  A  fortnight  after,  Franklin  met 
the  man  in  the  same  place  ;  "  So  you  are  soon 
returned,  Junis  ?  "  "  Returned  !  no",  I  am  not 
gone  yet ! "  "  How  so  ?  "  "  I  have  called  here 
this  and  every  morning  these  two  weeks  past 
for  his  lordship's  letters,  and  they  are  not  yet 
ready."  "Is  it  possible,  when  he  is  so  great  a 
writer:  for  I  see  him  constantly  at  his  escri 
toire  ?  "  "  Yes,"  said  Junis,  "  but  he  is  like  St. 
George,  on  the  signs,  always  on  horseback,  and 
never  rides  on." 

This  delay  was  very  irksome  to  Franklin.  He 
whiled  away  the  time  as  best  he  could,  some 
times  in  conferences  with  the  general,  sometimes 
in  writing  to  his  friends.  There  was  a  balance 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FHANKLEST.  213 

due  him  on  account  of  wagons  and  supplies  for 
Braddock's  army ;  he  tried  to  effect  a  settle 
ment  ;  the  general  ordered  a  warrant  drawn  for 
payment,  but  before  signing  it,  concluded  to 
defer  a  settlement  till  they  reached  England, 
which  was  the  end  of  it.  Then,  recruiting  offi 
cers  of  the  king's  army  had  enlisted  bound  ser 
vants  of  the  farmers,  without  compensation. 
Franklin  sought  redress ;  but  the  general  could 
not  be  brought  to  a  definite  point. 

Among  the  letters  which  he  wrote  at  this 
time  is  one  to  his  sister,  Mrs.  Mecom,  under 
date  of  April  19,  1757. 

"DEAK  SISTER: 

"  I  wrote  a  few  lines  to  you  yesterday,  but  omitted  to  an 
swer  yours,  relating  to  sister  Dowse.  As  having  their  own 
way  is  one  of  the  greatest  comforts  of  life  to  old  people,  I 
think  their  friends  should  endeavor  to  accommodate  them  in 
that,  as  well  as  anything  else.  When  they  have  long  lived 
in  a  house,  it  becomes  natural  to  them ;  they  are  almost  as 
closely  connected  with  it,  as  the  tortoise  with  his  shell ;  they 
die  if  you  tear  them  out  of  it ;  old  folks  and  old  trees,  if  you 
remove  them,  it  is  ten  to  one  that  you  kill  them ;  so  let  our 
good  old  sister  be  no  more  importuned  on  that  head.  We 
are  growing  old  fast  ourselves  [Franklin  was  now  fifty-one] 
and  shall  expect  the  same  kind  of  indulgences ;  if  we  give 
them,  we  shall  have  a  right  to  receive  them  in  our  turn. 

"And  as  to  her  few  fine  things,  I  think  she  is  in  the 
right  not  to  sell  them,  and  for  the  reason  she  gives,  that  they 
will  fetch  but  little;  when  that  little  is  spent,  they  would  be 
of  no  further  use  to  her;  but  perhaps  the  expectation  of 
possessing  them  at  her  death  may  make  that  person  tender 
and  careful  of  her,  and  helpful  to  her  to  the  amount  of  ten 


214  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

times  their  value.    If  so,  they  are  put  to  the  best  use  they 
possibly  can  be. 

"I  hope  you  visit  sister  as  often  as  your  affairs  will  per 
mit,  and  afford  her  what  assistance  and  comfort  you  can  in 
her  present  situation.  Old  age,  infirmities,  and  poverty, 
joined,  are  afflictions  enough.  The  neglect  and  slights  of 
friends  and  near  relations  should  never  be  added.  People 
in  her  circumstances  are  apt  to  suspect  this  sometimes  with 
out  cause ;  appearances,  therefore,  should  be  attended  to,  in 
our  conduct  toward  them,  as  well  as  realities.  I  write  by 
this  post  to  cousin  Williams,  to  continue  his  care,  which  I 
doubt  not  he  will  do. 

"  We  expect  to  sail  in  about  a  week,  so  that  I  can  hardly 
hear  from  you  again  on  this  side  the  water ;  but  let  me  have 
a  line  from  you  now  and  then,  while  I  am  in  London.  I 
expect  to  stay  there  at  least  a  twelve-month.  .  .  .  My 
love  to  all,  from,  dear  sister, 

"  Your  affectionate  brother, 

"B.  FBANKLIN. 

"  P.  S.— April  25th.  We  are  still  here,  and  perhaps  may 
be  here  a  week  longer.  Once  more  adieu,  my  dear  sister." 

Certainly,  many  thanks  are  due  to  the  pro 
voking  general  for  affording  the  opportunity  to 
Franklin  of  writing  this  admirable  letter. 

About  a  month  later  he  wrote  again  to  his 
sister  from  Woodbridge,  New  Jersey,  whither 
he  seems  to  have  escaped  for  a  day  or  two  to 
attend  to  some  business.  In  it  he  referred  to 
"  Benny's  "  intentions  of  marriage.  His  wife 
seems  to  have  been  with  him. 

"  I  know  nothing  of  that  affair,  but  what  you  write  me, 
except  that  I  think  Miss  Betsey  a  very  agreeable,  sweet- 
tempered,  good  girl,  who  has  had  a  housewifely  education, 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  215 

and  will  make,  to  a  good  husband,  a  very  good  -wife.  Your 
sister  and  I  have  a  great  esteem  for  her;  and  if  she  will  be 
kind  enough  to  accept  of  our  nephew,  we  think  it  will  be 
his  own  fault,  if  he  is  not  as  happy  as  the  married  state  can 
make  him.  The  family  is  a  respectable  one,  but  whether 
there  can  be  any  fortune  I  know  not ;  and,  as  you  do  not 
inquire  about  this  particular,  I  suppose  you  think  with  me 
that  where  everything  else  desirable  is  to  be  met  with,  that 
is  not  very  material.  If  she  does  not  bring  a  fortune,  she 
will  help  to  make  one.  Industry,  frugality,  and  prudent 
economy  in  a  wife,  are  to  a  tradesman,  in  their  effects,  a 
fortune,  and  a  fortune  sufficient  for  Benjamin,  if  his  expec 
tations  are  reasonable.  We  can  only  add,  that,  if  the  young 
lady  and  her  friends  are  willing,  we  give  our  consent  heart 
ily,  and  our  blessing.  My  love  to  brother  and  the  children. 
"  Tour  affectionate  brother, 

"B.  FKANKLIN. 

"P.  S. —  If  Benny  will  promise  to  be  one  of  the  tenderest 
husbands  in  the  world,  I  will  give  my  consent.  He  knows 
already  what  I  think  of  Miss  Betsey. 

"  I  am  his  loving  aunt, 

"  DEBORAH  FEANKLIST." 

Still  delayed ;  and  about  a  week  later,  Frank 
lin  wrote  to  his  wife,  who  had  returned  home : 

"MrDEABDEBBYI 

".  .  .  .  All  the  packets  are  to  sail  together  with  the 
fleet,  but  when  that  will  be  is  yet  uncertain ;  for  yesterday 
came  in  three  privateers  with  several  prizes,  and  by  them 
there  is  advice  that  the  French  fleet,  which  was  in  the  West 
Indies,  is  come  to  the  northward ;  and  now  it  is  questioned 
whether  it  will  be  thought  prudent  for  these  transports  to 
sail  till  there  is  certain  advice  that  the  grand  fleet  is  arrived 
from  England.  This,  however,  is  only  town  talk.  .  .  . 

"I  have  been  very  low-spirited  all  day.    This  tedious 


216  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FKANKLIN. 

state  of  uncertainty  and  long  waiting  have  almost  worn  out 
iny  patience.  ...  I  left  my  best  spectacles  on  the  table. 
Please  send  them  to  me." 

On  the  30th  of  May,  he  wrote  again  to  Mrs. 
Mecom : 

"DEABSISTEB: 

"  I  have  before  me  yours  of  the  9th  and  16th  instant.  I 
am  glad  you  have  resolved  to  visit  sister  Dowse  oftener  ;  it 
will  be  a  great  comfort  to  her,  to  find  she  is  not  neglected  by 
you,  and  your  example  may  perhaps  be  followed  by  some 
others  of  her  relations." 

A  little  further  on,  the  writer  gives  some  good 
advice,  which  many  persons  in  our  day  would 
do  well  to  lay  to  heart : 

* 

"I  am  glad  that  Peter  Mecom*  is  acquainted  with  the 
crown-soap  business  so  as  to  make  what  is  good  of  the  kind. 
I  hope  he  will  always  take  care  to  make  it  faithfully,  and 
never  slight  the  manufacture,  or  attempt  to  deceive  by  ap 
pearances.  Then  he  may  boldly  put  his  name  and  mark, 
and  in  a  little  time  it  will  acquire  as  good  a  character  as  that 
made  by  his  late  uncle,  or  any  other  person  whatever.  I 
believe  his  aunt  at  Philadelphia  [Mrs.  Franklin]  can  help 
him  to  sell  a  good  deal  of  it.  .  .  Let  a  box  be  sent  to  her 
(but  not  unless  it  be  right  good)  and  she  will  immediately 
return  the  ready  money  for  it 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  Johnny  is  so  good  and  diligent  a  work 
man.  If  he  ever  sets  up  at  the  goldsmith's  business,  he 
must  remember  that  there  is  one  accomplishment  without 
which  he  cannot  possibly  thrive  in  that  trade,  that  is,  per 
fect  honesty.  It  is  a  business  that,  though  ever  so  up 
rightly  managed,  is  always  liable  to  suspicion ;  and  if  a  man 
is  once  detected  in  the  smallest  fraud,  it  soon  becomes  pub- 

*  Franklin's  nephew. 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  217 

lie,  and  every  one  is  pat  upon  his  guard  against  him;  no 
one  will  venture  to  try  his  wares,  or  trust  him  to  make  up 
his  plate ;  so  at  once  he  is  ruined.  I  hope  my  nephew  will, 
therefore,  establish  a  character  as  an  honest  and  faithful,  as 
well  as  skilful  workman,  and  then  he  need  not  fear  for  em 
ployment." 

The  season  has  advanced  into  June,  and  still 
he  is  on  shore.  On  the  second  day  of  the  month 
Franklin  wrote  to  his  wife  a  final  letter.  Refer 
ring  to  his  little  daughter,  he  said : 

"  I  hope  my  dear  Sally  will  behave  in  everything  to  your 
satisfaction,  and  mind  her  learning  and  improvement.  As 
my  absence  will  make  your  house  quieter,  and  lessen  your 
business,  you  will  have  the  more  leisure  to  instruct  her  and 
form  her.  I  pray  God  to  bless  you  both,  and  that  we  may 
once  more  have  a  happy  meeting.  God  preserve,  guard  and 
guide  you.  My  duty  to  mother  and  love  to  all  the  family. 
I  shall  endeavor  to  write  to  you  once  more  before  we  sail, 
being  as  ever,  my  dear  child,  your  affectionate  husband." 

At  last,  the  alarm  about  the  French  proving 
groundless,  the  general,  being  also  presumed  to 
have  finished  all  his  letters,  gave  orders  to  sail. 
There  lays  in  the  harbor  a  great  fleet  of  nearly 
a  hundred  sail,  designed  for  the  reduction  of 
Louisburg,  and  Lord  Loudoun,  with  his  army, 
embarked  in  the  flag  ship,  accompanied  by  the 
three  packet  boats,  destined  for  England,  but 
which  were  to  be  at  hand  to  receive  his  latest 
dispatches.  It  was  several  days  after  leaving 
New  York  before  Franklin's  packet  was  allowed 
to  go  on  its  way.  The  other  two  were  taken  to 
Halifax,  with  all  their  passengers ;  and  when 


218  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

the  general,  after  spending  some  time  there  in 
"  sham  attacks  on  sham  forts,"  as  a  preparation 
for  taking  Louisburg,  decided  to  abandon  the 
attack  and  return  to  New  York,  they  were 
forced  to  go  back  with  him. 

The  packet  in  which  Franklin  sailed  proved 
at  first  to  be  a  very  dull  sailor.  It  was  found 
that  she  was  too  heavily  loaded  by  the  head,  for. 
on  shifting  the  water-casks  further  aft,  she  out 
stripped  the  rest  of  the  fleet.  After  parting 
company  with  the  fleet,  the  packet  was  chased 
by  several  hostile  ships,  but  outsailed  every 
thing,  and  in  thirty  days  had  soundings.  The 
captain  hoped,  by  making  a  good  run  in  the 
night,  to  be  off  Falmouth  harbor  in  the  morning. 
The  wind  was  fresh  and  fair,  and,  crowding  all 
sail,  he  shaped  his  course,  as  he  thought,  so  as  to 
pass  wide  of  the  Scilly  Rocks.  But  a  strong 
current,  which  sometimes  sets  up  St.  George's 
Channel,  and  which  caused  the  loss  of  Sir 
Cloudesley  Shovel's  squadron,  in  1707,  diverted 
the  ship  from  its  course,  and  came  near  making 
her  a  wreck. 

"We  had  a  watchman,"  says  Franklin,  "placed  in  the 
bow,  to  whom  they  often  called,  'Look  well  out  before 
there;'  and  he  as  often  answered,  'Ay,  ay;'  but  perhaps  had 
his  eyes  shut,  and  was  half  asleep  at  the  time,  they  some 
times  answering,  it  is  said,  mechanically;  for  he  did  not 
see  a  light  just  before  us,  which  had  been  hid  by  the  stud 
ding  sails  from  the  man  at  the  helm,  and  from  the  rest  of 
the  watch,  but  by  an  accidental  yaw  of  the  ship  was  discov 
ered,  and  occasioned  a  great  alarm,  we  being  very  near  it ; 
the  light  appearing  to  me  as  large  as  a  cart-wheel.  It  waa 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  219 

midnight,  and  our  captain  fast  asleep;  but  Captain  Ken 
nedy  [of  the  Koyal  Navy,  a  passenger]  jumping  upon  deck, 
and  seeing  the  danger,  ordered  the  ship  to  wear  round,  all 
sails  standing;  an  operation  dangerous  to  the  masts,  but  it 
carried  us  clear,  and  we  avoided  shipwreck,  for  we  were 
running  fast  on  the  rocks  on  which  the  light  was  erected. 

"  This  deliverance  impressed  me  strongly  with  the  utility 
of  light-houses,  and  made  me  resolve  to  encourage  the 
building  some  of  them  in  America,  if  I  should  live  to  return 
thither. 

"  In  the  morning  it  was  found  by  the  sounding,  that  we 
were  near  our  port,  but  a  thick  fog  hid  the  land  from  our 
sight.  About  nine  o'clock  the  fog  began  to  rise,  and  seemed 
to  be  lifted  up  from  the  water  like  the  curtain  of  a  theatre, 
discovering  underneath  the  town  of  Falmouth,  the  vessels 
in  the  harbor,  and  the  fields  that  surround  it.  This  was  a 
pleasing  spectacle  to  those  who  had  long  been  without  any 
other  prospect  than  the  uniform  view  of  a  vacant  ocean, 
and  it  gave  us  the  more  pleasure  as  we  were  now  free  from 
the  anxieties  which  had  arisen." 

In  a  letter  to  his  wife,  he  says  that,  on  land 
ing: 

"The  bell  ringing  for  church,  we  went  thither  immedi 
ately,  and,  with  hearts  full  of  gratitude,  returned  sincere 
thanks  to  God  for  the  mercies  we  had  received.  Were  I  a 
Roman  Catholic,  perhaps  I  should  on  this  occasion  vow  to 
build  a  chapel  to  some  saints ;  but  as  I  am  not,  if  I  were  to 
vow  at  all,  it  should  be  to  build  a  light-house." 

From  Falmouth  he  proceeded,  with  his  son, 
immediately  to  London,  stopping  a  little  by  the 
way  to  view  Stonehenge  on  Salisbury  Plain,  and 
Lord  Pembroke's  house  and  gardens,  with  the 


220 


LIFE  OP  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 


very  curious  antiquities  at  Wilton.  They 
reached  London,  July  27th,  making  the  journey 
of  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  a  week  or  ten 
days,  proceeding  at  the  slow  rate  of  traveling 
customary  at  that  time. 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN.  221 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

At  Peter  Collinson's. —  Letter  to  His  Wife. —  At 
Mrs.  Stevenson's. — Mary  Stevenson. —  Visits 
from  Distinguished  Persons.  —  Very  111.  — 
Letter  to  His  Wife. —  Another  Letter. —  Home 
sick.  —  Another  Letter.  —  London  Coaches.  — 
Inventory  of  Articles  Sent  Home. — His  Agency. 
— Seeks  an  Interview  with  Thomas  and  Richard 
Penn. —  Their  Prejudices. —  Visits  Cambridge 
and  Other  Places.  —  Sends  Presents  to  His 
Daughter  and  a  Friend. —  Family  Portraits. — 
Women  and  Politics. — Sends  for  Pippins^ 
Hams,  and  Cranberries. —  Goody  Smith. —  At 
Cambridge. —  Visits  the  House  of  His  Ances 
tors. —  Thomas  Franklin. 

FRANKLIN  is  once  more  in  London,  not  now 
a  young  printer,  a  stranger,  seeking  employment, 
but  a  man  of  wide  celebrity,  011  an  important 
mission  to  tlie  government,  his  society  courted 
by  the  wise  and  great.  He  was  a  youth  of 
eighteen  when  he  left  America  before  ;  now  he 
is  a  venerable  gentleman  of  fifty-one. 

He  spent  the  first  few  days  at  the  house  of 
his  excellent  friend,  Peter  Collinson,  a  member 
of  the  Royal  Society,  with  whom  he  had  corres 
ponded  on  scientific  subjects.  The  day  of  his 


222  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN. 

arrival,  he  sent  off  a  letter  to  his  wife,  his  "  dear 
child,"  like  a  good  husband,  as  he  was.  He 
soon  took  up  his  abode  at  the  house  of  Mrs. 
Margaret  Stevenson,  in  Craven  street,  to  whom 
he  had  been  recommended  by  some  Pennsylva 
nia  friends  who  had  boarded  there,  and  whom  he 
found  to  be  a  most  amiable  lady.  She  had  a 
daughter,  Mary,  then  eighteen  years  of  age,  for 
whom  he  formed  a  strong  attachment,  which 
lasted  through  life.  He  helped  her  in  her  stud 
ies,  and  when  she  was  at  her  aunt's,  Mrs.  Tick- 
ell,  with  whom  she  spent  most  of  her  time,  he 
kept  up  a  correspondence  with  her  on  literary 
and  scientific  subjects.  This  accomplished  young 
lady  was  subsequently  married  to  Dr.  Hewson, 
a  celebrated  anatomist.  At  his  death,  four  years 
after,  she  was  left  with  three  children,  to  whose 
education  and  the  care  of  her  mother,  she  faith 
fully  devoted  herself. 

At  this  pleasant  home,  for  such  it  was,  Frank 
lin  was  at  once  visited  by  many  distinguished 
persons,  and  from  others  on  the  continent  he  re 
ceived  congratulatory  letters.  Among  others, 
Mr.  Strahan,  the  king's  printer  and  a  member  of 
Parliament,  cordially  welcomed  him  to  England ; 
Governor  Shirley,  with  whom  he  had  been  on 
confidential  terms  in  America,  frequently  called 
upon  him,  and  men  of  science  especially  were 
proud  to  make  his  acquaintance.  All  which 
was  very  agreeable.  But  of  course  he  gave  his 
chief  attention  to  his  mission.  This  business 
was,  however,  soon  interrupted,  and  for  about 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  223 

two  months,  by  a  serious  illness.  When  he  be 
came  better,  under  the  skilful  care  of  Dr.  Foth- 
ergill,  he  began  a  letter  to  his  wife,  which  he 
was  twelve  days  in  completing.  It  is  dated 
November,  22nd.  After  alluding  to  his  sick 
ness,  and  other  matters,  he  said: 

"  Had  I  been  well,  I  intended  to  have  gone  round  among 
the  shops,  and  bought  some  pretty  things  for  you  and  nay 
dear,  good  Sally  (whose  little  hands  you  say  cured  your 
headache),  to  send  by  this  ship,  but  I  must  now  defer  it  to 
the  next,  having  only  got  a  crimson  satin  cloak  for  you,  the 
newest  fashion,  and  the  black  silk  for  Sally;  but  Billy  [his 
son  William]  sends  her  a  scarlet  feather,  muff,  and  tippet, 
and  a  box  of  fashionable  linen  for  her  dress.  In  the  box  is 
a  thermometer  for  Mr.  Taylor,  and  one  for  Mr.  Schlatter; 
as  also  a  watch  for  Mr.  Schlatter. 

On  fair  days,  which  are  but  few,  I  venture  out  about  noon. 
The  agreeable  conversation  I  meet  with  among  men  of 
learning,  and  the  notice  taken  of  me  by  persons  of  distinction, 
are  the  principal  things  that  soothe  me  for  the  present  under 
this  painful  absence  from  my  family  and  friends.  Yet 
those  would  not  keep  me  here  another  week,  if  I  had  not 
other  inducements ;  duty  to  my  country,  and  hopes  of  being 
able  to  do  it  service. 

"Pray  remember  me  kindly  to  all  that  love  us,  and  to  all 
that  we  love.    It  is  endless  to  name  names. 
"I  am,  my  dear  child, 

"  Your  loving  husband." 

A  few  weeks  later,  he  tells  her  that,  at  his 
time  of  life,  "  domestic  comforts  afford  the  most 
solid  satisfaction,"  and  that  his  "  uneasiness  at 
being  absent  from  his  family,  and  longing  desire 
to  be  with  them,  make  him  often  sigh  in  the 
midst  of  cheerful  company." 


224  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

The  next  month,  February  19th,  1758,  his 
health  now  much  improved,  he  writes  again  to 
"  my  dear  child." 

"  Your  kind  advice,"  he  says,  "about  getting  a  chariot  I 
had  taken  some  time  before ;  for  I  found  that  every  time  I 
walked  out,  I  got  fresh  cold ;  and  the  hackney-coaches  at 
this  end  of  the  town,  where  most  people  keep  their  own,  are 
the  worst  in  the  whole  city,  dirty,  broken,  shabby  things, 
unfit  to  go  into  when  dressed  clean,  and  such  as  one  would 
be  ashamed  to  get  out  of  at  any  gentleman's  door.  As  to 
burning  wood,  it  would  answer  no  end,  unless  one  would 
furnish  all  one's  neighbors  and  the  whole  city  with  the 
same.  The  whole  town  is  one  great  smoky  house,  and 
every  street  a  chimney,  the  air  full  of  floating  seacoal  soot, 
and  you  never  get  a  sweet  breath  of  what  is  pure,  without 
riding  some  miles  far  into  the  country. 

"  I  send  you  by  Captain  Budden  a  large  case  and  a  small 
box.  In  the  large  case  is  another  small  box  containing  some 
English  China;  viz.,  melons  and  leaves  for  a  dessert  of  fruit 
and  cream,  or  the  like ;  a  bowl  remarkable  for  the  neatness 
of  the  figures,  made  at  Bow,  near  this  city ;  some  coffee  cups 
of  the  same ;  a  Worcester  bowl,  ordinary.  To  show  the 
difference  of  workmanship,  there  is  something  from  all  the 
china  works  in  England;  and  one  old  true  china  bason 
mended,  of  an  odd  color.  The  same  box  contains  four  silver 
salt  ladles,  newest,  but  ugliest,  fashion ;  a  little  instrument 
to  core  apples ;  another  to  make  little  turnips  out  of  great 
ones ;  six  coarse  diaper  breakfast  cloths ;  they  are  spread  on 
the  tea  table,  for  nobody  breakfasts  here  on  the  naked  table, 
but  on  the  cloth  they  set  a  teaboard  with  the  cups.  There 
is  also  a  little  basket,  a  present  from  Mrs.  Stevenson  to  Sally, 
and  a  pair  of  garters  for  you,  which  were  knit  by  the  young 
lady,  her  daughter,  who  favored  me  with  a  pair  of  the  same 
kind,  the  only  ones  I  have  been  able  to  wear,  as  they  need 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN.  225 

not  be  bound  tight,  the  ridges  in  them  preventing  their  slip 
ping. 

"  We  send  them  therefore  as  a  curiosity  for  the  form,  more 
than  for  the  value.  Goody  Smith  may,  if  she  pleases,  make 
such  for  me  hereafter.  My  love  to  her. 

"In  the  great  case,  besides  the  little  box,  is  contained 
some  carpeting  for  a  best  room  floor.  There  is  enough  for 
one  large  or  two  small  ones ;  it  is  to  be  sewed  together,  the 
edges  being  felled  down,  and  care  taken  to  make  the  figures 
meet  exactly;  there  is  bordering  for  the  same.  This  was  my 
fancy.  Also  two  large  fine  Flanders  bedticks,  and  two  pair 
of  superfine  blankets,  two  fine  damask  table-cloths  and  nap 
kins,  and  forty-three  ells  of  Ghentish  Sheeting  Holland. 
These  you  ordered.  There  are  also  fifty-six  yards  of  cotton, 
printed  curiously  from  copper  plates,  a  new  invention,  to 
make  bed  and  window  curtains;  and  seven  yards  of  chair 
bottoms,  printed  in  the  same  way,  very  neat.  These  were 
my  fancy;  but  Mrs.  Stevenson  tells  me  I  did  wrong  not  to 
buy  both  of  the  same  color.  Also  seven  yards  of  printed 
cotton,  blue  ground,  to  make  you  a  gown.  I  bought  it  by 
candlelight,  and  liked  it  then,  but  not  so  well  afterwards. 
If  you  do  not  fancy  it,  send,  it  as  a  present  from  me  to  sister 
Jenny.  There  is  a  better  gown  for  you,  of  flowered  tissue, 
sixteen  yards,  of  Mrs.  Stevenson's  fancy,  cost  nine  guineas, 
and  I  think  it  a  great  beauty.  There  was  no  more  of  the 
sort,  or  you  should  have  had  enough  for  a  negligee  or  suit. 

"  There  are  also  snuffers,  a  snuff-stand,  and  extinguisher, 
of  steel,  which  I  send  for  the  beauty  of  the  work.  The  ex 
tinguisher  is  for  spermaceti  candles  only,  and  is  of  a  new 
contrivance,  to  preserve  the  snuff  upon  the  candle.  There 
is  some  music  Billy  bought  for  his  sister,  and  some  pam 
phlets  for  the  Speaker  [of  the  Assembly]  and  for  Susy 
Wright.  A  mahogany  and  a  little  shagreen  box,  with  mi 
croscopes  and  other  optical  instruments  loose,  are  for  Mr, 


226  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN. 

Alison,  if  lie  likes  them ;  if  not,  put  them  in  my  room  till  I 
return.  •  *  *  There  are  also  two  sets  of  books,  a  present 
from  me  to  Sally,  The  World,  and  The  Connoisseur.  My 
love  to  her. 

"I  forgot  to  mention  another  of  my  fancyings,  viz:  a  pair 
of  silk  blankets,  very  fine.  They  are  of  a  new  kind,  were 
just  taken  in  a  French  prize,  and  such  were  never  seen  in 
Fjigland  before.  They  are  called  blankets,  but  I  think  they 
will  be  very  neat  to  cover  a  summer  bed,  instead  of  a  quilt  or 
counterpane.  I  had  no  choice,  so  you  will  excuse  the  soil  on 
some  of  the  folds ;  your  neighbor  Foster  can  get  it  off.  I 
also  forgot,  among  the  China,  to  mention  a  large  fine  jug  for 
beer,  to  stand  in  the  cooler.  I  fell  in  love  with  it  at  first 
sight;  for  I  thought  it  looked  like  a  fat  jolly  dame,  clean  and 
tidy,  with  a  neat  blue  and  white  calico  gown  on,  good-na 
tured  and  lovely,  and  puts  me  in  mind  of  —  somebody.  It 
has  the  coffee  cups  in  it,  packed  in  best  crystal  salt,  of  a 
peculiar  nice  flavor,  for  the  table,  not  to  be  powdered. 

"I  hope  Sally  applies  herself  to  her  French  and  music, 
and  that  I  shall  find  she  has  made  great  proficiency.  The 
harpsichord  I  was  about  to  get,  and  which  was  to  have  cost 
me  forty  guineas,  Mr.  Stanley  advises  me  not  to  buy;  and  we 
are  looking  out  for  another.  .  .  Sally's  last  letter  to  her 
brother  is  the  best  wrote  that  of  late  I  have  seen  of  her.  I 
only  wish  she  was  a  little  more  careful  of  her  spelling.  I 
hope  she  continues  to  love  going  to  church,  and  would  have 
her  read  over  and  over  again  the  "  Whole  Duty  of  Man," 
and  the  "  Lady's  Library." 

"  Look  at  the  figures  on  the  china  bowl  and  coffee  cups, 
with  your  spectacles  on ;  they  will  bear  examining. 

"  I  have  made  your  compliments  to  Mrs.  Stevenson.  She 
is  indeed  very  obliging,  takes  great  care  of  my  health,  and 
is  very  diligent  when  I  am  any  way  indisposed ;  but  yet  I 
have  a  thousand  times  wished  you  with  me,  and  my  little 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN.  227 

Sally  with  her  ready  hands  and  feet  to  do,  and  go,  and 
come,  and  get  what  I  wanted.  There  is  great  difference  in 
sickness  between  heing  nursed  with  that  tender  attention 
which  proceeds  from  sincere  love,  and  —  " 

The  rest  is  lost. 

It  is  pleasant  to  think  of  our  world-renowned 
philosopher,  commissioner  to  his  Majesty,  out 
"shopping"  with  his  landlady,  merrily  discuss 
ing  with  that  estimable  person,  the  merits  and 
prices  of  articles  destined  for  his  "  dear  child  " 
in  America.  The  above  formidable  inventory 
makes  us  fear  that  the  good  man,  now  that  he 
has  plenty  of  money  to  spend,  has  quite  forgot 
ten  his  homilies  on  luxury.  That  "  China  bowl, 
with  a  spoon  of  silver,"  his  wife's  surprise  to 
him  twenty-seven  year  before,  which  was  "the 
first  appearance  of  plate  and  China "  in  his 
house,  suggests  a  curious  contrast  between  the 
meagre  outfit  of  that  time  and  his  present  free 
and  easy  style  of  expenditure.  But,  unlike  too 
many  young  housekeepers  of  our  day,  Franklin 
was  willing  to  begin  in  an  humble  way  and  keep 
within  his  income,  until  ample  means  enabled 
him  honestly  to  indulge  his  taste  for  a  freer 
style  of  living.  He  did  not  buy  luxuries  which 
he  could  not  pay  for. 

But  Franklin  was  all  this  while  busy  with  the 
objects  of  his  agency.  According  to  his  in 
structions  from  the  Assembly,  first  he  sought  an 
interview  with  the  proprietaries,  Thomas  and 
Richard  Penn,  sons  of  William  Penn,  and  laid 
before  them  the  complaints  which  had  brought 


228  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FKANKLIN. 

him  to  England.  But  these  gentlemen,  seeming 
to  care  little  for  the  interests  of  the  people  of 
the  province,  insisted  that  the  grievances  were 
on  their  side.  The  Assembly  had  encroached 
on  their  prerogatives.  The  proprietaries  also 
prejudiced  the  officers  of  the  crown  against  his 
cause,  by  representing  the  Pennsylvanians  as 
disposed  to  enlarge  their  own  liberties  even  at 
the  expense  of  the  crown,  and  as  backward  in 
measures  of  military  defense.  While  the  sav 
ages  were  ravaging  the  country,  the  Assembly 
wasted  its  time  in  quarrelling  with  the  governor 
and  in  thwarting  his  plans.  Franklin  prepared 
a  careful  refutation  of  these  charges,  which  was 
published  in  his  son's  name,  but  it  was  not 
allo\ved  a  place  in  the  very  paper  which  had  cir 
culated  them,  without  pay.  The  letter  was  not 
answered  ;  discussion  was  not  what  the  proprie 
taries  wanted. 

The  affair  dragged  along  for  more  than  a  year, 
during  which  time  Franklin  visited  various 
places  of  interest  —  Cambridge,  among  others, 
where  he  was  "  very  kindly  entertained  in  the 
colleges." 

After  his  return  from  this  trip,  he  wrote  to 
his  wife,  that  he  had  sent  to  Philadelphia,  as  a 
present  to  a  friend,  Mrs.  Moore,  "  some  of  the 
best  writing  paper  for  letters,  and  best  quills 
and  wax,"  and  also,  "for  my  dear  girl  a  new 
est  fashioned  white  hat  and  cloak,  and  sundry 
little  things  ; "  and  he  informed  her  that  by  a 
later  packet  would  come  for  her  little  ladyship 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN    FHANKLIN.  229 

"  a  pair  of  buckles,  made  of  French  paste  stones, 
which  are  next  in  lustre  to  diamonds.  They 
cost  three  guineas,  and  are  said  to  be  cheap  at 
that  price."  He  adds: 

"  I  fancy  I  see  more  likeness  in  her  picture  than  I  did  at 
first,  and  I  look  at  it  often  with  pleasure,  as  at  least  it  re 
minds  me  of  her.  Yours  is  at  the  painter's,  who  is  to  copy 
it  and  do  me  of  the  same  size;  but  as  to  family  pieces,  it  is 
said  they  never  look  well,  and  are  quite  out  of  fashion,  and 
I  find  the  limner  very  unwilling  to  undertake  anything  of 
the  kind.  However,  when  Franky's  comes,  and  that  of 
Sally  by  young  Hesselius,  I  shall  see  what  can  be  done." 

He  then  tells  her  that  she  was  "  very  prudent 
not  to  engage  in  party  disputes." 

"  Women  never  should  meddle  with  them,  except  in  en 
deavors  to  reconcile  their  husbands,  brothers,  and  friends, 
who  happen  to  be  of  contrary  sides.  If  your  sex  keep  cool, 
you  may  be  the  means  of  cooling  ours  the  sooner." 

He  adds : 

"  I  have  no  prospect  of  returning  till  next  spring.  But 
pray  remember  to  make  me  as  happy  as  you  can,  by  sending 
some  pippins  for  myself  and  friends,  some  of  your  small 
hams,  and  some  cranberries 

"Billy  is  of  the  Middle  Temple,  and  will  be  called  to  the 
bar  either  this  term  or  the  next.  .  .  I  have  ordered  two 
large  print  Common  Prayer  Books  to  be  bound,  on  purpose 
for  you  and  Goody  Smith  ;  and,  that  the  largeness  of  the 
print  may  not  make  them  too  bulky,  the  christenings,  mat 
rimonies,  and  everything  else  that  you  and  she  have  not 
immediate  and  constant  occasion  for,  are  to  be-omitted.  .  . 

"I  could  not  find  the  bit  of  thread  you  mention  to  have 
sent  me,  of  your  own  spinning.  Perhaps  it  was  too  fine  to 


230  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN. 

be  seen.  ...  I  think  of  going  into  the  country  soon, 
and  shall  be  pretty  much  out  this  summer,  in  different 
parts  of  England.  I  depend  chiefly  on  these  journeys  for 
the  establishment  of  my  health." 

Soon  after,  we  find  him  again  at  Cambridge, 
at  the  Commencement.  Writing  to  his  wife,  he 
says,  "  We  were  present  at  all  the  ceremonies, 
dined  every  day  in  their  halls,  and  my  vanity 
was  not  a  little  gratified  by  the  particular  regard 
shown  me  by  the  chancellor  and  vice-chancellor 
of  the  University,  and  the  heads  of  colleges." 

After  the  Commencement,  he  visited  the  home 
of  his  ancestors,  and  gleaned  what  information 
he  could  about  them,  from  old  people,  the  par 
ish  registers,  and  the  tombstones.  At  Welling- 
borough  he  found  still  living  Mary  Fisher, 
the  only  child  of  his  father's  eldest  brother. 
She  and  her  husband  were  both  aged,  but  in 
easy  circumstances. 

At  Ecton,  three  or  four  miles  from  Welling- 
borough,  he  visited  the  old  house  and  grounds 
where  had  lived  several  generations  of  Frank 
lins.  The  place  had  been  sold,  but  the  house, 
"  a  decayed  old  stone  building,"  was  standing, 
being  used  for  a  school-house,  and  still  known 
as  the  Franklin  House. 

The  rector,  on  whom  he  called,  showed  him 
the  parish  memorials  of  his  ancestors  reaching 
back  two  hundred  years.  His  wife,  "  a  chatty 
old  lady,"  took  him  into  the  graveyard,  and 
pointed  out  several  of  the  family  grave-stones, 
now  covered  with  moss.  The  names  were 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN.  231 

brought  to  light  by  means  of  a  hard  brush  and  a 
basin  of  water  provided  by  the  old  lady,  and 
used  by  Peter  and  Billy.  She  told  them  enter 
taining  stories  of  Thomas  Franklin,  the  father 
of  Mrs.  Fisher,  and  they  had  the  pleasure  of 
hearing  the  chimes  in  the  steeple,  placed  there 
by  a  subscription  which  he  had  set  on  foot.  He 
was  a  man  whose  advice  was  sought  for  "  on  all 
occasions,  by  all  sorts  of  people."  "  He  found 
out  an  easy  method  of  saving  their  village  mead 
ows  from  being  drowned"  (by  the  river). 
When  his  plan  was  first  proposed,  nobody  could 
"  see  how  it  could  be ;  "  "  but,  however,"  they 
said,  "  if  Franklin  says  he  knows  how  to  do  it, 
it  will  be  done."  How  very  like  what  was 
afterwards  said  in  Philadelphia  of  our  Franklin, 
"Have  you  consulted  Franklin  on  this  business  ? 
And  what  does  he  think  of  it?  " 

At  Birmingham  he  discovered  other  relative, 
and  some  of  his  wife's ;  among  others,  "  a  daugh 
ter  of  his  father's  only  sister,  very  old,  and 
never  married ;  a  good,  clever  woman,  but  poor, 
though  vastly  contented  with  her  situation,  and 
very  cheerful." 


232  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

The  Study  of  Electricity.  — Experiments. — Music* 

—  The  Armonica.  — Excursion  to  Scotland.  — 
University    of   Aberdeen.  —  Men   of  Note.  — 
Lord  Kames. —  Parable  on  Persecution. —  Let 
ter  to  Lord  Kames. —  History  of  Pennsylvania. 

—  A  Settlement.  —  Canada.  —  Letter  to  Lord 
Kames. —  The  Future  of  America. —  Letter  to 
David  Hume.  —  New  Words. —  American  " Au 
dience  "for  English  Authors. —  The  Poet  Dan 
iel.  —  His    Prophecy    of    America.  —  Charles 
Sumner. —  John  Adams. —  Visits  the  North  of 
England  and  Wales. —  Scientific  Correspondence 
ivith  Miss  Stevenson. —  Letter  to  his    Wife.  — 
Visits  the   Continent.  —  Letter  from  Hume.  — 
Franklin's  Reply. —  Returns  to  America. 

WE  are  now  brought  to  the  year  1759.  Much 
of  Franklin's  time  was  now  devoted  to  his  favorite 
pursuit,  the  study  of  electricity.  He  had  electrical 
instruments  at  his  boarding-house,  and  in  the 
forenoon  generally  had  company  to  witness  his 
experiments,  any  one  that  knew  him  being 
allowed  to  bring  his  friends.  He  also  main 
tained  a  large  correspondence  with  scientific 
friends  in  England  and  on  the  continent.  If  he 
must  be  hindered  in  his  mission,  he  could  find 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  233 

no  more  agreeable  way  of  passing  his  time,  though 
doubtless,  the  interest  attached  to  his  experi 
ments,  which  had  the  charm  of  novelty,  as  well 
as  his  urbanity,  and  his  respectful  treatment  of 
his  opponents,  materially  furthered  the  object  of 
his  mission. 

He  was  very  fond  of  music,  and  invented  an 
instrument,  which  he  called  the  Armonica,  which 
attracted  a  good  deal  of  attention.  He  had  seen, 
in  London,  an  instrument  consisting  of  musical 
glasses,  upon  which  tunes  were  played  by  passing 
the  fingers  round  the  brims.  Being  charmed  by 
the  sweetness  of  its  tones,  he  thought  it  worth 
his  while  to  improve  its  construction,  disposing 
the  glasses  in  a  more  convenient  form,  so  as  to 
admit  of  a  greater  number  of  tones.  He  had 
glasses  blown  in  the  shape  of  a  hemisphere,  with 
an  open  socket  in  the  middle,  the  glasses  gradu 
ally  diminishing  in  size,  and  all  fixed  on  a  spin 
dle,  fastened  horizontally  in  a  case,  and  turned 
by  a  wheel  moved  by  the  foot.  "  The  advan 
tages  of  this  instrument,"  says  Franklin,  "are, 
that  its  tones  are  incomparably  sweet  beyond 
those  of  any  other ;  that  they  may  be  swelled 
and  softened  at  pleasure  by  stronger  or  weaker 
pressures  of  the  fingers,  and  continued  to  any 
length ;  and  that  the  instrument  being  once  well 
tuned,  never  wants  tuning  again."  This  instru 
ment  became  very  popular.  It  was  manufac 
tured  in  London,  and  sold  for  forty  guineas. 
Franklin's  rooms  were  often  visited  by  friends 
to  listen  to  his  "  musical  performances."  A  Miss 


234  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FKANKLDT. 

Davies,  having  learned  to  play  it,  visited  the 
leading  cities  of  the  continent,  exhibiting  her 
skill  before  large  audiences.  The  Armonica  had 
the  favor  of  being  played  by  this  lady,  accompa 
nying  an  ode  sung  by  her  sister,  at  the  nuptials 
of  the  Duke  of  Parma  and  the  Arch  duchess  of 
Austria.  So  our  philosopher  not  only  instructed 
but  charmed  Europe. 

During  the  summer  of  this  year  he,  with  his 
son,  made  an  excursion  to  Scotland,  where,  he 
says,  "  We  spent  six  weeks  of  the  densest  happi 
ness  I  have  met  with  in  any  part  of  my  life  ;  the 
agreeable  and  instructive  society  we  found  there 
in  such  plenty  has  left  so  pleasing  an  impression 
on  rny  memory  that,  did  not  strong  connections 
draw  me  elsewhere,  I  believe  Scotland  would  be 
the  country  I  should  choose  to  spend  the  re 
mainder  of  my  days  in." 

The  University  of  Aberdeen  had,  some 
months  before  his  visit  to  Scotland,  conferred 
upon  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws,  which 
honor  was  subsequently  received  from  the  Uni 
versities  of  Oxford  and  Edinburgh ;  and  while 
at  the  latter  place  the  freedom  of  the  city  was  pre 
sented  to  him,  "  as  a  mark  of  the  affectionate 
respect,"  says  the  town  record,  "  which  the 
magistrates  and  council  have  for  a  gentleman 
whose  amiable  character,  greatly  distinguished 
for  usefulness  to  the  society  which  he  belongs 
to,  and  love  to  all  mankind,  had  long  ago 
reached  them  across  the  Atlantic  ocean."  A  few 
days  later  the  same  honor  was  paid  him  at 
Aberdeen. 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  235 

In  Scotland  lie  became  acquainted  with  Dr. 
Robertson,  the  historian,  David  Hume,  Lord 
Kames,  and  other  men  of  note.  It  was  at  the 
country  mansion  of  the  latter,  where  he  spent 
several  delightful  days,  that  he  read  his  cele 
brated  Parable  on  Persecution.  The  apologue 
is  of  Persian  origin,  and  a  similar  story  is  found 
in  Jeremy  Taylor's  Liberty  of  Prophesying,  but 
to  Franklin  belongs  the  merit,  says  Sparks,  of 
imitating  the  scripture  style  with  peculiar  felic 
ity,  and  of  adding  the  closing  verses ;  which  is 
all  he  claimed. 

His  scientific  pursuits  and  enjoyments  did  not, 
however,  interfere  with  the  business  of  his 
agency.  In  1758  and  the  early  part  of  1759,  he 
was  busy,  in  connection  with  his  son,  in  the  pre 
paration  of  a  work  designed  to  remove  existing 
prejudice  against  his  province.  It  gave  a  full  ac 
count  of  the  Constitution  and  Government  of 
Pennsylvania,  including  the  controversies  which 
had  arisen  between  the  several  Governors  and 
their  respective  Assemblies.  The  work  was  not 
written  by  Franklin,  but  under  his  direction, 
though  a  large  portion  of  it  consists  of  messages 
and  reports,  prepared  by  him  as  a  member  of  the 
Assembly. 

It  was  published  anonymously,  but  was 
ascribed  to  Franklin,  and  brought  upon  him  a 
great  deal  of  abuse.  But  it  had  its  silent  influ 
ence,  and  helped  to  prepare  the  way  for  a  more 
candid  consideration  of  the  grievances  set  forth 
by  the  province, 


236  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN. 

Ill  June,  the  next  year,  1760,  after  a  delay  of 
nearly  three  years,  a  settlement  was  reached,  by 
which  the  proprietary  estates  were  declared  sub 
ject  to  taxation.  This  result,  though  it  did  not 
embrace  all  the  points  of  complaint,  was  yet  very 
gratifying  to  Franklin,  and  entirely  satisfactory 
to  the  Assembly,  being  all  that  could  be  expected 
under  the  circumstances. 

Franklin  had  proved  himself  a  wise  and  skill 
ful  negotiator.  Little  did  he  then  think  that  he 
was  training  for  more  difficult  and  important 
diplomacy,  affecting  not  a  province,  but  almost 
a  continent,  and  resulting  not  in  new  colonial 
relations,  but  in  the  birth  of  a  new  nation. 

He  could  not  now  return  to  America,  however, 
having  still  other  interests  of  the  province  to 
look  after. 

It  is  a  remarkable  fact,  that  Franklin,  by 
means  of  conversation  or  correspondence  with 
leading  men,  and  especially  of  a  tract  he  pub 
lished  about  this  time,  The  Interest  of  Great 
Britain  Considered,  was  instrumental  in  making 
Canada  a  permanent  province  of  England;  "the 
first  step,"  says  Sparks,  "  in  the  train  of  events 
that  led  in  a  few  years  to  the  independence  of 
the  colonies.'* 

The  subjugation  of  the  French,  having'freed 
the  colonies  from  fear  from  that  quarter,  as  well 
as  taught  them  their  own  strength,  allowed  them 
to  press  more  earnestly  their  complaints  against 
the  mother  country,  for  her  unjust  interference 
with  their  commerce  and  manufactures ;  com- 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN    FKANKLIN.  237 

plaints  which  soon  ripened  into  resistance  and 
independence. 

In  a  letter  to  Lord  Kames,  speaking  of  the 
conquest  of  Canada,  Franklin  said,  "  I  have  long 
been  of  opinion  that  the  foundations  of  the  fu 
ture  grandness  and  stability  of  the  British  Em 
pire  lie  in  America ;  and  though,  like  other 
foundations,  they  are  low  and  little  now,  they 
are,  nevertheless,  broad  and  strong  enough  to 
support  the  greatest  political  structure  that  hu 
man  wisdom  ever  yet  erected.  .  .  .  But  I 
refrain,  for  I  see  you  begin  to  think  my  notions 
extravagant,  and  look  upon  them  as  the  ravings 
of  a  mad  prophet." 

All  which,  however,  has  proved  true,  only 
there  are  two  Englands  instead  of  one. 

In  a  letter  to  David  Hume,  speaking  of  the 
introduction  of  new  words,  as,  he  complains, 
"generally  wrong,"  by  tending  to  change  the 
language,  "yet,  at  the  same  time,"  he  adds  : 

"  I  cannot  but  wish  the  usage  of  our  tongue  permitted 
making  new  words,  when  we  want  them,  by  composition  of 
old  ones,  whose  meanings  are  already  well  understood.  The 
Germans  allow  of  it,  and  it  is  a  common  practice  with  their 
writers 

"  But  I  hope  with  you,  that  we  shall  always,  in  America, 
make  the  best  English  of  this  Island,  our  standard;  and  I 
believe  it  will  be  so.  I  assure  you,  it  often  gives  me  great 
pleasure  to  reflect,  how  greatly  the  audience  ( if  I  may  so 
term  it )  of  a  good  English  writer,  will,  in  another  century 
or  two,  be  increased  by  the  increase  of  English  people  in  our 
colonies." 

An  anticipation  fully  realized  within  the  first 


238  LITE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

century,  for  the  best  British  works  find  often  a 
much  wider  circle  of  readers  in  America  than  in 
England.  The  foresight  of  Franklin  reminds 
us  of  the  remarkable  prophecy  of  Daniel,  the 
poet-laureate  of  James  I,  more  than  a  century 
and  a  half  before  : 

"Who  in  time  knows  whither  we  may  vent 

The  treasures  of  our  tongue  ?    To  what  strange  shores 

This  gain  of  our  best  glory  shall  be  sent, 

T J  enrich  unknowing  nations  with  our  stores  ? 

What  worlds,  in  the  yet  unformed  Occident, 

May  'come  refined  with  the  accents  that  are  ours  ?" 

Charles  Sumner,  in  his  Prophetic  Voices  con 
cerning  America,  quotes  the  prophesy  of  John 
Adams,  written  in  1780  :  — "  You  must  know 
that  I  have  undertaken  to  prophecy  that  English 
will  be  the  most  respectable  language  in  the 
world,  and  the  most  universally  read  and  spoken 
in  the  next  century,  if  not  before  the  close  of 
this.  American  population  will,  in  the  next  age, 
produce  a  greater  number  of  persons  who  will 
speak  English  than  any  other  language,  and 
these  persons  will  have  more  general  acquaint 
ance  and  conversation  with  all  other  nations, 
than  any  other  people."  But  Mr.  Sumner  does 
not  inform  us  that  Adams  was  anticipated  nearly 
twenty  years  by  Franklin,  as  Franklin  was  an 
ticipated  a  hundred  and  fifty  by  Daniel. 

As  was  his  custom,  while  abroad,  Franklin 
made  another  summer  tour,  this  year,  visiting 
the  North  of  England  and  Wales,  and  on  his  re 
turn  stopping  at  Bristol  and  Bath, 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  239 

He  kept  up  his  correspondence  with  his  scien 
tific  friends,  making  ingenious  observations  on 
a  variety  of  subjects.  His  best  correspondent 
in  this  line,  was  that  remarkable  young  lady, 
the  daughter  of  his  London  hostess.  She  pro 
posed  questions  in  natural  science,  which  Frank 
lin  answered,  if  he  could,  and  sometimes  she  pro 
posed  theories  of  her  own.  What  themes  for  let 
ters  to  a  young  lady :  The  Effect  of  Air  on  the 
Barometer,  the  Benefits  Derived  from  the 
Study  of  Insects,  the  Bristol  Waters,  and  the 
Tide  in  Rivers,  Salt  Water  rendered  fresh  by 
Distillation,  Method  of  Relieving  Thirst  by  Sea- 
water,  Tendency  of  Rivers  to  the  Sea,  Effect  of 
the  Sun's  Rays  on  Cloths  of  Different  Colors ! 

From  a  letter  to  his  wife,  dated  Utrecht,  Sep* 
tember  14th,  1761,  we  learn  that  he  spent  the 
summer  of  that  year  on  the  continent,  where  he 
visited  Holland  and  Flanders. 

The  time  had  now  come  for  his  return  to 
America.  Some  of  his  friends  urged  him  to  take 
up  his  abode  in  England.  Mr.  Hume  wrote  to 
him  : 

"I  am  very  sorry  that  you  intend  soon  to  leave  our 
hemisphere.  America  has  sent  us  many  good  things :  gold, 
silver,  sugar,  tobacco,  indigo,  &c.,  but  you  are  the  first 
philosopher,  and  indeed  the  first  great  man  of  let 
ters  for  whom  we  are  beholden  to  her.  It  is  our 
own  fault  that  we  have  not  kept  him ;  whence  it  appears,  that 
we  do  not  agree  with  Solomon,  that  wisdom  is  above  gold; 
for  we  take  care  never  to  send  back  an  ounce  of  the  latter, 
which  we  once  lay  our  fingers  upon." 


240          LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  FEANKUN. 

In  his  reply,  Franklin  said : 

"  Your  compliments  of  gold  and  wisdom  are  very  obliging 
to  me,  but  a  little  injurious  to  your  country.  The  various 
value  of  everything  in  every  part  of  the  world,  arises,  you 
know,  from  the  various  proportions  of  the  quantity  to  the 
demand.  We  are  told  that  gold  and  silver  in  Solomon's 
time,  were  so  plenty,  as  to  be  of  no  more  value  in  his 
country,  than  the  stones  on  the  street.  You  have  here  at 
piesent  just  such  a  plenty  of  wisdom.  Your  people  are, 
therefore,  not  to  be  censured  for  desiring  no  more  among 
them,  than  they  have ;  and,  if  I  have  any,  I  should  certainly 
carry  it  where,  from  its  scarcity,  it  may  probably  come  to  a  bet 
ter  market" 

About  the  end  of  August,  Franklin  sailed 
from  England,  in  company  with  ten  sail  of  mer 
chant-ships,  under  a  convoy  of  a  man-of-war, 
reaching  home  on  the  first  of  November,  after 
an  absence  of  nearly  six  years.  He  found  his 
wife  and  daughter  well ;  "  the  latter  grown 
quite  a  woman,  with  many  amiable  accomplish 
ments,"  acquired  during  his  absence.  His 
friends  received  him  with  a  hearty  welcome, 
crowding  his  house  for  many  days,  to  congratu 
late  him  on  his  return. 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  FBANKLIN.  241 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

In  the  Assembly.  —  His  Son  chosen  Governor  of 
New  Jersey. — His  Son  Marries.— Tour  through 
the  Northern  Colonies  as  Postmaster. — Accom 
panied  ly  his  Daughter. —  Outrages  on  Friendly 
Indians.  —  "  A  Narrative."  — Preparations  to 
meet  the  Insurgents.  —  Loses  his  Seat  in  the 
Assembly. — Jealousy  of  Franklin's  Influence. 
—  Requested  ly  the  Assembly  to  Return  to  Eng 
land  to  urge  a  Petition  for  a  Change  of  Govern 
ment  in  the  Provinces.  —  A  Protest  against  his 
Appointment.  —  John  Dickinson.  —  Franklin 
Replies  to  Charges.  —  Generous  Action  of  the 
Merchants.  —  Sails  for  England.  —  Letter  to 
his  Daughter.  —  Good  Advice.  —  Arrives  in 
London.  —  At  Mrs.  Stevenson's.  —  Letter  from 
Cadwallader  Evans.  —  Greetings  from  Penn 
sylvania. 

FEANKLIN  at  once  resumed  his  place  in  the 
Assembly,  to  which  he  had  been  elected  every 
year  during  his  absence.  Three  thousand  pounds 
were  voted  him  for  his  services  in  England,  with 
the  thanks  of  the  body.  It  may  be  observed 
that  no  salary  had  been  voted  him,  and  that  he 
had  lived  in  England  at  his  own  expense,  and 
that  when  he  returned  he  made  no  charge  or  de 
mand. 


242  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN. 

The  February  following,  his  son,  who  had 
been  appointed  Governor  of  New  Jersey,  arrived 
with  his  new  wife,  "  a  very  agreeable  West  India 
lady,"  whom  he  had  married  soon  after  his  father 
left  England,  and  with  his  "  approbation."  The 
father  accompanied  him  to  his  government,  where 
he  met  with  "the  kindest  reception  from  the 
people  of  all  ranks." 

In  the  spring  of  1763,  Dr.  Franklin  set  out  on 
a  tour  through  all  the  northern  colonies,  to  in 
spect  and  regulate  the  post-offices  in  the  several 
provinces.  He  travelled  in  a  light  carriage 
about  sixteen  hundred  miles,  and  did  not  get 
home  till  the  beginning  of  November.  He  was 
accompanied  by  his  daughter,  who  rode  nearly 
all  the  way  from  Philadelphia  to  Rhode  Island 
on  a  saddle-horse,  and  was  mnch  pleased  with 
her  tour. 

Soon  after  his  return,  the  community  was 
much  excited  and  alarmed  by  the  unprovoked 
massacre,  under  circumstances  of  the  most  atro 
cious  cruelty,  of  several  members  of  a  small  tribe 
of  friendly  Indians,  at  Conestogo.  Fifty-seven 
white  men,  living  in  the  back  frontiers,  formed 
a  conspiracy  against  these  innocent  people,  the 
whole  tribe  numbering  but  twenty  persons,  in 
cluding  women  and  children,  and  after  a  night's 
ride,  suddenly  appeared  at  break  of  day,  armed 
with  guns  and  hatchets,  before  the  little  cluster 
of  huts.  They  found  but  three  men,  two  women, 
and  a  boy  at  home,  and  these  they  murdered, 
scalping  them,  and  mutilating  their  bodies.  One 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  243 

of  the  killed  was  the  aged  Shehaes,  who  had 
assisted  at  the  second  treaty  held  with  his  tribe 
by  William  Penn,  in  1701,  and  had  ever  since 
been  an  affectionate  friend  to  the  English.  He 
was  cut  to  pieces  in  his  bed. 

Having  accomplished  this  base  deed,  these 
dastardly  outlaws  went  to  their  homes  by  differ 
ent  roads. 

"  The  universal  concern,"  says  Franklin,  in  his  Narra 
tive,  "of  the  neighboring  white  people,  on  hearing  of  this 
event,  and  the  lamentations  of  the  younger  Indians,  when 
they  returned  and  saw  the  desolation,  and  the  butchered, 
half-burnt  bodies  of  their  murdered  parents,  and  other  rela 
tions,  cannot  well  be  expressed." 

The  surviving  Indians  were  at  once  taken 
under  the  protection  of  the  magistrates  of  Lan 
caster,  and  when  the  shocking  news  reached 
Philadelphia,  the  governor  issued  a  proclamation 
calling  upon  the  magistrates  to  arrest  the  authors 
of  the  massacre.  But  these  lawless  wretches, 
defying  the  authorities,  determined  to  kill  the 
little  remnant  that  was  at  Lancaster  for  safe 
keeping.  About  a  fortnight  after  the  first  attack, 
fifty  of  them,  armed  as  before,  went  to  that  town, 
and  violently  broke  open  the  door  of  the  work 
house,  where  the  Indians  were  residing. 

"When  the  poor  creatures  saw  they  had  no  protection 
nigh,  nor  could  possibly  escape,  they  divided  into  their 
little  families,  the  children  clinging  to  the  parents ;  they  fell 
on  their  knees,  protested  their  innocence,  declared  their 
love  to  the  English,  and  that,  in  their  whole  lives,  they  had 
never  done  them  injury ;  and  in  this  posture  they  all  received 


244  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

the  hatchet!    Men,  women,  and  little  children  were  every 
one  inhumanly  murdered  in  cold  blood !  "  * 

The  perpetrators  of  this  brutality  then  mounted 
their  horses,  and  rode  off  homeward,  huzzaing 
in  triumph  as  if  they  had  performed  a  deed  of 
glory.  So  weak  was  the  government,  that  not 
one  of  the  murderers  was  apprehended.  And, 
strange  as  it  may  appear,  there  was  an  ever- 
active  party,  among  the  more  ignorant,  who 
approved  the  conduct  of  the  murderers  as  a 
necessary  means  of  defence,  or  a  justifiable 
retaliation.  The  better  part  of  the  community 
were  alarmed.  Not  only  humanity  had  been 
outraged,  but  social  order  imperilled.  Franklin, 
whose  wisdom  and  energy  seem  to  have  been 
relied  on  in  every  emergency,  now  spoke  for  law 
and  order  and  humanity,  in  a  vigorous  Narrative 
of  the  late  massacres  in  Lancaster  County. 
Addressing  the  perpetrators  of  the  massacre,  he 
said: 

"  All  good  people  everywhere  detest  your  actions.  You 
have  imbrued  your  hands  in  innocent  blood ;  how  will  you 
make  them  clean?  The  dying  shrieks  and  groans  of  the 
murdered  will  often  sound  in  your  ears.  Their  spectres  will 
sometimes  attend  you,  and  affright  even  your  innocent  chil 
dren.  Fly  where  you  will,  your  consciences  will  go  with 
you.  Talking  in  your  sleep  shall  betray  you,  in  the  delirium 
of  a  fever  you  yourselves  shall  make  your  own  wickedness 
known." 

Appealing  to  the  inhabitants,  he  said  : 

"  Let  us  rouse  ourselves,  for  shame,  and   redeem  the 

*  Narrative. 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  245 

honor  of  our  province  from  the  contempt  of  its  neighbors; 
let  all  good  men  join  heartily  and  unanimously  in  support  of 
the  laws,  and  in  strengthening  the  hands  of  government; 
that  justice  may  be  done,  the  wicked  punished,  and  the  in 
nocent  protected ;  otherwise,  we  can,  as  a  people,  expect  no 
blessing  from  Heaven ;  there  will  be  no  security  for  our  per 
sons  or  properties ;  anarchy  and  confusion  will  prevail  over 
all,  and  violence  without  judgment  dispose  of  everything." 

This  pamphlet  did  not,  indeed,  quell  the 
rioters,  for,  backed  by  the  populace,  and  by  the 
timidity  of  the  authorities,  a  great  body  of  them 
with  arms  afterwards  marched  towards  the  cap 
ital,  with  an  avowed  resolution  to  put  to  death 
one  hundred  and  forty  Moravian  Indians,  who 
were  then  under  the  government's  protection. 
But  it  effectually  roused  the  people  to  follow 
Franklin  in  forming  a  military  association ;  there 
being  no  militia.  Nearly  a  thousand  of  the  cit 
izens  took  arms,  and  the  governor  made  Frank 
lin's  house  his  headquarters  for  some  time,  and 
did  everything  by  his  advice ;  "  so  that,"  as  he 
says,  humorously,  in  a  letter  to  Lord  Kames, 
"  for  about  forty-eight  hours  I  was  a  very  great 
man." 

The  insurgents,  having  come  within  six  miles 
of  Philadelphia,  were  checked  in  their  purpose 
by  the  preparation  which  they  found  had  been 
made  to  oppose  them.  Improving  the  favorable 
moment,  the  governor  appointed  Franklin  and 
three  other  persons  "to  meet  and  discourse  with 
them."  Their  reasonings  prevailed  to  turn 
back  the  rioters  and  restore  quiet  to  the  city. 


246  LIFE   OP   BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN. 

The  governor,  who  had  been  glad  enough  to 
shelter  his  head  beneath  Franklin's  roof  in  the 
time  of  danger,  now  that  peace  was  restored, 
meanly  availed  himself  of  the  unpopularity  which 
Franklin's  efficiency  against  the  insurgents  had 
provoked  among  the  lowest  class  of  the  inhabit 
ants,  to  get  him  turned  out  of  the  Assembly. 
The  fact  is,  Franklin  was  proved  to  be  too  pow 
erful.  It  was  his  influence,  and  not  the  govern 
or's  authority,  that  had  saved  the  province  from 
the  horrors  of  anarchy  and  bloodshed.  The 
governor  succeeded  in  so  prejudicing  the  voters 
that,  in  1764,  Franklin  lost  his  seat  by  twenty- 
five  votes  out  of  four  thousand.  But  it  was  a 
paltry  triumph.  Franklin  had  already  been  the 
principal  means  of  defeating  a  militia  bill,  which 
the  governor  wished  to  force  through  the  House, 
giving  to  him  the  sole  appointment  of  officers, 
and  having  other  objectionable  features.  And 
at  an  adjourned  session,  after  Franklin  had  lost 
his  seat,  the  House  approved  of  the  resolutions 
taken  when  he  was  Speaker,  of  petitioning  the 
crown  for  a  change  of  government,  and  re 
quested  him  to  return  to  England,  to  prosecute 
that  petition. 

This  appointment  sent  dismay  into  the  propri 
etary  party.  They  had  thought  to  silence  Frank 
lin,  but  they  had  only  helped  to  make  him  a 
more  influential  foe  to  their  pretensions.  He 
must  not  be  allowed  to  go  to  England.  The 
effect  of  abuse  was  first  tried,  and  when  that 
only  strengthened  his  cause,  a  protest  was  seut 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  247 

to  the  Assembly.  Even  a  man  of  so  much  merit 
as  John  Dickinson,  personalty,  also,  a  friend  to 
Franklin,  and  afterwards  an  able  defender  of 
colonial  rights,  was  so  far  carried  away  for  the 
time  by  party  spirit,  as  to  allow  himself  to  say : 

"  The  gentleman  proposed  has  been  called  here  to-day,  '  a 
great  luminary  of  the  learned  world.'  Far  be  it  from  me  to 
detract  from  the  merit  I  admire.  Let  him  still  shine,  but 
without  wrapping  his  country  in  flames.  Let  him,  from  a 
private  station,  from  a  smaller  sphere,  diffuse,  as  I  think  he 
may,  a  beneficial  light;  but  let  him  not  be  made  to  move 
and  blaze  like  a  comet,  to  terrify  and  distress." 

But  remonstrances,  speeches  and  protests 
could  not  reverse  the  appointment. 

Just  before  starting,  Franklin  replied  to  the 
charges  made  against  him,  closing  with  these 
words : 

"  I  am  now  to  take  leave,  perhaps  a  last  leave,  of  the 
country  I  love,  and  in  which  I  have  spent  the  greater  part 
of  my  life.  Esto  perpetua.  I  wish  every  kind  of  prosperity 
to  my  friends;  and  I  forgive  my  enemies." 

As  the  treasury  was  then  empty,  the  mer 
chants  of  the  city,  in  two  hours,  subscribed 
eleven  hundred  pounds  as  a  loan  to  the  public, 
towards  his  expenses.  On  the  7th  of  Novem 
ber,  1764,  he  left  home  the  third  time  for  Eng 
land,  being  accompanied  sixteen  miles  to  the 
ship  by  a  cavalcade  of  three  hundred  of  his 
friends,  "  who,"  he  says,  "  filled  our  sails  with 
their  good  wishes." 

He  sailed  the  next  day,  but  the  ship  was  de 
tained  over  night  at  Reedy  Island,  in  the  Dela- 


248          LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FKANKLIN. 

ware.     In  a  letter  to  his  daughter,  written  from 
that  place,  at  night,  he  says : 

"  The  affectionate  leave  taken  of  me  by  so  many  friends 
at  Chester,  was  very  endearing.  God  bless  them,  and  all 
Pennsylvania. 

"My  dear  child,"  he  adds,  "the  natural  prudence  and 
goodness  of  heart  God  has  blest  you  with,  make  it  less  nec 
essary  for  me  to  be  particular  in  giving  you  advice.  I  shall 
therefore  only  say,  that  the  more  attentively  dutiful  and  ten 
der  you  are  towards  your  good  mamma,  the  more  you  will 
recommend  yourself  to  me.  But  why  should  I  mention  me, 
when  you  have  so  much  higher  a  promise  in  the  command 
ments,  that  such  conduct  will  recommend  you  to  the  favor  of 
God.  You  know  I  have  many  enemies,  all,  indeed,  on  the 
public  account  (for  I  cannot  recollect  that  I  have  in  a  private 
capacity  given  just  cause  of  offence  to  any  one  whatever), 
yet  they  are  enemies,  and  very  bitter  ones ;  and  you  must 
expect  their  enmity  will  extend  in  some  degree  to  you,  so 
that  your  slightest  indiscretions  will  be  magD  /fied  into  crimes, 
in  order  the  more  sensibly  to  wound  and  afflict  me.  It  is, 
therefore,  the  more  necessary  for  you  to  be  extremely  cir 
cumspect  in  all  your  behavior,  that  no  advantage  may  be 
given  to  their  malevolence. 

"  Go  constantly  to  church,  whoever  preaches.  The  act  of 
devotion  in  the  Common  Prayer  Book  is  your  principal  bus 
iness  there,  and,  if  properly  attended  to,  will  do  more 
towards  amending  the  heart  than  sermons  generally  can  do. 
For  they  were  composed  by  men  of  much  greater  piety  and 
wisdom  than  our  common  composers  of  sermons  can  pretend 
to  be;  and  therefore,  I  wish  you  would  never  miss  the 
prayer-days;  yet  I  do  not  mean  you  should  despise  sermons, 
even  of  the  preachers  you  dislike,  for  the  discourse  is  often 
much  better  than  the  man,  as  sweet  and  clear  waters  come 
through  very  dirty  earth.  I  am  the  more  particular  on  this 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FKANKLIN.  249 

head,  as  you  seemed  to  express,  a  little  before  I  came  away, 
some  inclination  to  leave  our  church,  which  I  would  not 
have  you  do. 

"For  the  rest,  I  would  only  recommend  to  you,  in  my  ab 
sence,  to  acquire  those  useful  accomplishments,  arithmetic 
and  bookkeeping.  This  you  might  do  with  ease,  if  you 
would  resolve  not  to  see  company  on  the  hour  you  set  apart 
for  those  studies.  .  .  . 

"I  pray  that  God's  blessing  may  attend  you,  which  is 
worth  more  than  a  thousand  of  mine,  though  they  are  never 
wanting.  Give  my  love  to  your  brother  and  sister,*  as  I 
cannot  write  to  them,  and  remember  me  affectionately  to 
the  young  ladies,  your  friends,  and  to  our  good  neighbors. 
"I  am,  my  dear  child, 

"YOUR  AFFECTIONATE  FATHEB." 

After  a  stormy  passage  of  thirty  days,  he 
landed  at  Portsmouth,  whence  he  proceeded  at 
once  to  London,  and  took  possession  of  his 
old  quarters  at  Craven  Street. 

We  learn  from  a  letter  to  Franklin  from  Cad- 
wallader  Evans,  that  the  news  of  his  arrival, — 

"Occasioned  a  great  and  general  joy  in  Pennsylvania 
among  those  whose  esteem  an  honest  man  would  value 
most ;  the  bells  rang  on  that  account  till  midnight,  and  liba 
tions  were  poured  out  for  your  health,  and  every  other  hap 
piness.  Even  your  old  friend,  Hugh  Koberts,  stayed  with  us 
till  eleven  o'clock,  which,  you  know,  was  a  little  out  of  his 
common  road,  and  gave  us  many  curious  anecdotes  within 
the  compass  of  your  forty  years'  acquaintance." 

*  William  and  his  wife. 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 

Offensive  Acts  of  the  British  Ministry.  —  The 
Loyalty  of  the  Colonists. —  Led  by  a  Thread. — 
Proposed  Taxation.  —  "  No  Taxation  without 
Representation" — Franklin  Remonstrates  with 
the  British  Minister.  —  The  Stamp  Act. — Earl 
of  Chatham.  —  Restrictions  on  American  Man 
ufactures.  —  Letter  to  Lord  Kames.  —  Scotch 
Music.  —  Mr.  Tytler.  —  Letter  to  his  Wife.  — 
English  Roads. — Letter  to  his  Wife.  —  Letter 
from  his  Wife.  —  Letter  from  his  Daughter  — 
The  Stamp  Act. 

THE  direct  object  of  Dr.  Franklin's  present 
agency  in  England,  a  change  of  government  in 
Pennsylvania,  was  soon  thrown  into  the  shade  by 
acts  of  the  British  ministry  that  profoundly 
affected  not  one  but  all  the  colonies,  and  claimed 
his  almost  exclusive  attention.  A  wider  sphere 
was  opening  before  him,  demanding  the  highest 
statesmanship,  and  in  which  all  his  great  quali 
ties  were  to  be  brought  into  exercise,  and  put  to 
the  severest  test.  He  had  startled  the  world  by 
his  scientific  discoveries  ;  he  was  to  win  its  fur 
ther  admiration  by  his  political  sagacity. 

The  colonists  were  loyal  to  the  crown ;  they 
"  considered  themselves  as  a  part  of  the  British 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  251 

Empire,  and  as  having  one  common  interest  with 
it."  They  were  ready  to  vote  money  for  the 
king's  service,  and  to  devote  life  as  well  as  treas 
ure  to  enlarge  and  strengthen  the  British  Empire. 
By  lineage,  by  religion,  by  letters,  by  grand  tradi 
tions,  they  were  one  with  England.  They  were 
governed  "  at  the  expense,"  to  England,  "  only 
of  a  little  pen,  ink  and  paper  ;  they  were  led  by 
a  thread.  They  had  not  only  a  respect,  but  an 
affection  for  Great  Britain ;  for  its  laws,  its  cus 
toms  and  manners,  and  even  a  fondness  for  its 
fashions."  It  was  for  the  interest  of  England  to 
cherish  this  affection.  But  the  mother  country 
became  jealous  of  the  growing  prosperity  of  her 
trans- Atlantic  offspring.  And  when  the  peace 
of  Paris,  in  1763,  which  ended  the  French  war, 
left  a  vast  debt  upon  her,  she  seized  the  occasion 
to  impose  a  tax  upon  the  colonies,  by  an  act  of 
Parliament,  as  a  means  of  lightening  her  own 
burden.  If  the  British  ministry  had  asked  the 
colonies  to  share  the  load,  they  would  doubtless 
have  generously  responded,  as  they  had  often 
done  before,  but  when  compulsion  was  resorted 
to,  they  became  indignant.  Rumors  of  the 
threatened  measure  had  reached  America  before 
Dr.  Franklin's  departure,  and  he  had  been  in 
structed  by  the  Assembly  to  prevent  its  passage. 
This  was  the  feeling  in  all  the  colonies  —  "  No 
taxation  without  representation."  They  would 
not  be  taxed  by  a  body  in  which  they  had  no 
voice. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  in  England,  Franklin 


252  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

called  upon  the  British  ministry,  and  presented 
the  remonstrance  of  the  Pennsylvania  Assembly. 
He  showed  the  mischievous  tendency  of  the  pro 
posed  tax,  and  did  all  in  his  power  to  oppose  it. 
But  early  in  the  year  1765,  the  fatal  Stamp  Act 
was  passed  by  Parliament.  It  was  a  tax  in  the 
shape  of  a  government  stamp  upon  papers  re 
quired  in  judicial  proceedings,  bills  of  lading, 
college  diplomas,  and  custom-house  clearances. 
How  the  news  was  received  in  America,  the 
world  knows.  In  England,  too,  there  was  a 
powerful  opposition,  which  led  to  a  change  of 
ministry  in  the  summer  of  the  same  year.  Wil 
liam  Pitt,  Earl  of  Chatham,  the  great  orator  and 
statesman,  and  other  distinguished  men  in  and 
out  of  Parliament,  denounced  the  measure. 

There  existed  at  this  time  in  England  a  great 
jealousy  of  American  manufactures.  America, 
it  was  said,  must  not  make  so  much  as  a  horse 
shoe.  She  must  buy  everything  of  England. 
To  expose  these  absurd  and  mischievous  fears 
Franklin  prepared  a  humorous  article  for  a  Lon 
don  newspaper. 

But  however  much  he  was  interested  in  the 
affairs  of  the  colonies,  he  liked  to  turn  his  mind 
to  other  themes.  The  next  month  after  writing 
the  above,  he  penned  a  letter  to  Lord  Kames,  in 
which  he  made  some  very  ingenious  observa 
tions  on  Scotch  music.  He  expressed  the  opin 
ion  that 

"The  reason  why  the  Scotch  tunes  have  lived  so  long, 
and  will  probably  live  forever  (if  they  escape  being  stifled  in 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  253 

modern  affected  ornament),  is  merely  this,  that  they  are 
really  compositions  of  melody  and  harmony  united,  or 
that  their  melody  is  harmony.  I  mean  the  simple  tunes 
sung  by  a  single  voice.  As  this  will  appear  paradoxical,  I 
must  explain  my  meaning.  In  common  acceptation,  indeed, 
only  an  agreeable  succession  of  sounds  is  called  melody,  and 
only  the  co-existence  of  agreeable  sounds,  harmony.  But, 
since  the  memory  is  capable  of  retaining  for  some  moments 
a  perfect  idea  of  the  pitch  of  a  past  sound,  so  as  to  compare 
with  it  the  pitch  of  a  succeeding  sound,  and  judge  truly  of 
their  agreement  or  disagreement,  there  may  and  does  arise 
from  thence  a  sense  of  harmony  between  the  present  and 
past  sounds,  equally  pleasing  with  that  between  two  present 
sounds. 

"  Now  the  construction  of  the  old  Scotch  tunes  is  this,  that 
almost  every  succeeding  emphatical  note  is  a  third,  a  fifth, 
an  octave,  or  in  short  some  note  that  is  in  concord  with  the 
preceding  note.  Thirds  are  chiefly  used,  which  are  very 
pleasing  concords 

"Further,  when  we  consider  by  whom  these  ancient  tunes 
were  composed,  and  how  they  were  first  performed,  we  shall 
see  that  such  harmonical  successions  of  sounds  were  natural 
and  even  necessary  in  their  construction.  They  were  com 
posed  by  the  minstrels  of  those  days  to  be  played  on  the 
harp  accompanied  by  the  voice.  The  harp  was  strung  with 
wire,  which  gives  a  sound  of  long  continuance,  and  had  no 
contrivance  like  that  of  the  modern  harpsichord,  by  which 
the  sound  of  the  preceding  could  be  stopped,  the  moment  a 
succeeding  note  began.  To  avoid  actual  discord,  it  was 
therefore  necessary  that  the  succeeding  emphatic  note 
should  be  a  chord  with  the  preceding,  as  their  sounds  must 
exist  at  the  same  time.  Hence  arose  that  beauty  in  those 
tunes  that  has  so  long  pleased,  and  will  please  forever, 
though  men  scarce  know  why.  They  were  originally  com- 


254  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FKANKLIN. 

posed  for  the  harp$  and  of  the  most  simple  kind,  I  mean  a 
harp  without  any  half  notes  but  those  in  the  natural  scale, 
and  with  no  more  than  two  octaves  of  strings,  from  C  to  C, 
I  conjecture  from  another  circumstance,  which  is,  that  not 
one  of  those  tunes,  really  ancient,  has  a  single  artificial  half 
note  in  it,  and  that  in  tunes  where  it  was  most  convenient 
for  the  voice  to  use  the  middle  notes  of  the  harp,  and  place 
the  key  in  F,  there  the  B,  which  if  used  should  be  a  B  flat, 
is  always  omitted,  by  passing  over  it  with  a  third. 

"The  connoisseurs  in  music  will  say  I  have  no  taste;  but  I 
cannot  help  adding,  that  I  believe  our  ancestors,  in  hearing 
a  good  song  distinctly  articulated,  sung  to  one  of  those  tunes 
and  accompanied  by  the  harp,  felt  more  real  pleasure  than 
is  communicated  by  the  generality  of  modern  operas,  exclu 
sive  of  that  arising  from  the  scenery  and  dancing." 

"  This  notion  of  Dr.  Franklin's,"  says  Mr.  Tytler,  in  his 
Life  of  Lord  Kames,  "  respecting  what  may  be  called  the 
Ideal  Harmony  of  the  Scottish  melodies,  is  extremely  acute, 
and  is  marked  by  that  ingenious  simplicity  in  the  thought, 
which  is  characteristic  of  a  truly  philosophic  mind." 

About  this  time  he  wrote  to  his  wife  concern 
ing  some  domestic  affairs,  under  date  June  4, 
1765: 

"MY  DEAB  CHILD: 

.  .  .  .  "I  could  have  wished  to  be  present  at  the 
finishing  of  the  kitchen,  as  it  is  a  mere  machine ;  and,  being 
new  to  you,  I  think  you  will  scarce  know  how  to  work  it; 
the  several  contrivances  to  carry  off  steam,  smell  and  smoke 
not  being  fully  explained  to  you.  The  oven,  I  suppose,  was 
put  up  by  the  written  directions  in  my  former  letter.  You 
mention  nothing  of  the  furnace.  If  that  iron  one  is  not 
set,  let  it  alone  till  my  return,  when  I  shall  bring  a  more 
convenient  copper  one. 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  255 

"  You  wonder  how  I  did  to  travel  seventy-two  miles  in  a 
short  winter  day,  on  my  landing  in  England,  and  think  I 
must  have  practiced  flying.  But  the  roads  here  are  so  good, 
with  post-chaises  and  fresh  horses  every  ten  or  twelve  miles, 
that  it  is  no  difficult  matter.  A  lady  that  I  know,  has  come 
from  Edinburgh  to  London,  being  four  hundred  miles,  in 
three  days  and  a  half.  .  .  . 

"  I  cannot  but  complain  in  my  mind  of  Mr.  Smith,  that 
the  house  is  so  long  unfit  for  you  to  get  into,  the  fences  not 
put  up,  nor  the  other  necessary  articles  ready.  The  well  I 
suspected  would  have  been  dug  in  the  winter,  or  early  in  the 
spring,  but  I  hear  nothing  of  it.  You  should  have  gardened 
long  before  the  date  of  your  last,  but  it  seems  the  rubbish 
was  not  removed.  I  am  much  obliged  to  my  good  old 
friends,  that  did  the  honor  to  remember  me  in  the  unfin 
ished  kitchen.  I  hope  soon  to  drink  with  them  in  the 
parlor. 

"I  am  very  thankful  to  the  good  ladies  you  mention,  for 
their  friendly  wishes.  Present  my  best  respects  to  Mrs. 
Grace,  and  dear,  precious  Mrs.  Shewell,  Mrs.  Masters,  Mrs. 
and  Miss  Galloway,  Mrs.  Kedman,  Mrs.  Graeme,  Mrs.  Thom 
son,  Mrs.  Story,  Mrs.  Bartram,  Mrs.  Smith,  Mrs.  Hilborne, 
and  all  the  others  you  have  named  to  me.  .  .  . 

"It  rejoices  me  to  learn  that  you  are  more  free  than  you 
used  to  be  from  the  headache,  and  that  pain  in  your  side. 
I  am  likewise  in  perfect  health.  God  is  very  good  to  us 
both  in  many  respects.  Let  us  enjoy  his  favors  with  a 
thankful  and  cheerful  heart ;  and,  as  we  can  make  no  direct 
return  to  him,  show  our  sense  of  his  goodness  to  us  by  con 
tinuing  to  do  good  to  our  fellow-creatures,  without  regarding 
the  return  they  make  us,  whether  good  or  bad.  For  they 
are  all  his  children,  though  they  may  sometimes  be  our 
enemies.  The  friendships  of  this  world  are  changeable,  un- 


256  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

certain,  transitory  things;  but  his  favor,  if  we  can  secure 
it,  is  our  inheritance  forever. 

"  I  am,  niy  dear  Debby, 

"  YOUR  EVEB  LOVING  HTJSBAOTX" 

Again  in  July  he  writes  : 

"  I  had  the  great  pleasure  of  hearing  from  you  and  Sally 
last  night  by  the  packet.  .  .  .  Mrs.  Stevenson  bids  me 
tell  Sally,  that  the  striped  gown  I  have  sent  her  will  wash, 
but  it  must  be  with  a  light  hand." 

In  November,  a  year  after  his  leaving  home, 
she  wrote  to  him  that  she  was  "  as  happy  as 
possible,  while  you  are  not  here  to  make  me 
quite  so." 

All  the  while  that  the  kitchen,  the  garden, 
and  the  striped  gown  were  under  consideration, 
the  proposed  Stamp  Act  was  agitating  England 
and  America.  A  letter  to  her  father  from  Sally, 
dated  Burlington,  New  Jersey,  October  14th, 
reveals  something  of  the  public  feeling  in  Amer 
ica,  and  also  her  own  thoughts  on  some  other 
subjects : 

"  The  subject  now  is  the  Stamp  Act,  and  nothing  else  is 
talked  of ;  the  Dutch  talk  of  the  stampt  ack,  the  negroes  of 
the  tamp, —  in  short,  everybody  has  something  to  say." 

But  the  Stamp  Act  was  not  all  that  the  young 
lady  had  to  write  about : 

"I  am  going,"  she  adds,  "to  ask  my  papa  for  some 
things  that  I  can't  get  here;  but  must  beg,  if  I  am  troub 
lesome,  he  would  send  .  .  .  .  to  me:  'tis  some  gloves, 
both  white  and  mourning,  the  last  to  be  the  largest.  I  have 
sent  one  that  fits  me  best,  but  that  must  be  a  straw's  breadth 
bigger  in  the  arm,  for  I  never  had  a  pair  in  my  life  that  fitted 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN.  257 

me  there.  Sonix.  lavender  from  Smith,  in  Old  Bond  Street, 
and  some  tooth-powder  from  Green  and  Rutles,  in  Ludgate 
Street.  Sister  is  to  have  some  of  the  two  latter.  I  have 
also  a  request  to  make  you  for  Cousin  Debby,  to  get  a  glass 
like  the  one  enclosed  in  a  box  which  Captain  Friend  will 
deliver  to  you.  It  belonged  to  somebody  else,  and  she  ha<? 
the  misfortune  to  break  it.  Mamma  desired  me  to  tell  you 
that  she  .  .  .  had  shipped  you  some  apples  and  cran 
berries.  There  is  not  a  young  lady  of  my  acquaintance  but 
what  has  desired  to  be  remembered  to  you. 
"  I  am,  my  dear, 

"  YOUB  VKBY  DUTIFUL  DAUGHTER." 


258  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 


CHAPTER  XXVIIL 

Unpopularity  of  the  Stamp  Act.  —  Dr.  Franklin '« 
Influence.  —  Party  Spirit  in  Pennsylvania.  — 
How  He  bears  Calumny.  — Letter  to  His  Sister. 
— His  Examination  before  Parliament.  —  Ques 
tions  and  Answers.  —  His  Bearing.  —  Whit- 
field's  Testimony.  —  Letter  from  His  Sister.  — 
She  wants  "  Some  Fine  Old  Linen."  —  Sends 
Her  a  Box  of  Millinery.  —  Her  Letter  to  Mrs. 
Franklin.  —  Letter  to  His  Wife.  —  Repeal  of 
the  Stamp  Act.  —  A  New  Gown.  —  Reels.  — 
Cheeses.  —  Sir  Thomas  Pringle.  —  Excursion 
to  the  Continent.  —  On  a  Permanent  Union 
between  England  and  America,  —  Too  Late.  — 
Friar  Bacon.  —  Returned  to  the  Assembly.  — 
Letter  of  His  Daughter.  — "  The  Old  Ticket 
Forever" 

THE  pressure  was  too  great  upon  the  govern 
ment  to  allow  the  Stamp  Act  to  remain  upon 
the  Statute  Book.  Its  repeal  was  demanded. 
From  America  came  a  voice  of  loud  indignation, 
which  could  not  be  disregarded,  and  in  Parlia 
ment  it  was  warmly  denounced.  In  bringing 
about  its  repeal,  Dr.  Franklin  bore  a  conspicuous 
part.  By  conversation,  by  correspondence,  by 
articles  in  the  newspapers,  and  especially,  by  his 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN.  259 

answers  in  his  remarkable  examination  before  the 
House  of  Commons,  he  did  more  than  any  other 
man  to  enlighten  the  public  mind,  and  expose 
the  injustice  and  madness  of  the  Act  of  Parlia 
ment.  "  I  was  extremely  busy,"  he  wrote,  to 
Lord  Kames,  "  attending  members  of  both 
Houses,  informing,  explaining,  consulting,  dis 
puting,  in  a  continual  hurry  from  morning  till 
night." 

And  yet  Mrs.  Franklin  wrote  to  him,  Septem 
ber  22d,  from  Philadelphia,  that  Samuel  Smith 
was  "  setting  the  people  mad  by  telling  them 
that  it  was  you  that  had  planned  the  Stamp  Act, 
and  that  you  are  endeavoring  to  get  the  Test 
Act  brought  over  here."  Party  spirit  is  the  same 
always  and  everywhere. 

Dr.  Franklin  took  all  this  in  a  very  philosoph 
ical  spirit,  as  is  shown  in  a  letter  to  his  sister : 

"As  to  the  reports  you  mention,  tliat  are  spread  to  my 
disadvantage,  I  give  myself  as  little  concern  about  them  as 
possible.  I  have  often  met  with  such  treatment  from  peo 
ple  that  I  was  all  the  while  endeavoring  to  serve.  At  other 
times  I  have  been  extolled  extravagantly,  where  I  had  little 
or  no  merit.  These  are  the  operations  of  nature.  It  some 
times  is  cloudy,  it  rains,  it  hails ;  again  it  is  clear  and  pleas 
ant,  and  the  sun  shines  on  us.  Take  one  thing  with  another, 
and  the  world  is  a  pretty  good  sort  of  a  world,  and  it  is  our 
duty  to  make  the  best  of  it,  and  be  thankful.  One's  true 
happiness  depends  more  upon  one's  own  judgment  of  one' a 
self,  or  a  consciousness  of  rectitude  in  action  and  intention, 
and  the  approbation  of  those  few  who  judge  impartially, 
than  upon  the  applause  of  the  unthinking,  undiscerning 
multitude,  who  are  apt  to  cry  Hosanna  I  to-day,  to-morrow, 
CrutifyUml" 


260  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FKANKLIN. 

By  a  vote  of  Parliament,  Dr.  Franklin  was 
called  before  that  body  for  examination,  on  the 
13th  of  February,  1766.  It  was  an  occasion  of 
intense  interest  to  all  parties,  in  the  old  world 
and  the  new.  Franklin  comprehended  its  im 
portance,  and  acquitted  himself  nobly. 

To  the  first  question : 

"What  is  your  name,  and  place  of   abode?" 

He  answered : 
"Franklin,  of  Philadelphia." 

When  asked : 

"  Don't  you  think  they  (the  Americans)  would  submit  to 
the  Stamp  Act,  if  it  was  modified,  the  obnoxious  parts 
stricken  out,  and  the  duty  reduced  to  some  particulars  of 
small  moment?  " 

He  replied : 

"  No,  they  will  never  submit  to  it." 
And  to  the  question : 

"  What  is  your  opinion  of  a  future  tax,  imposed  on  the 
same  principle  with  that  of  the  Stamp  Act?  How  would 
the  Americans  receive  it?" 

He  answered : 
"Just  as  they  do  this.    They  would  not  pay  it." 

In  the  course  of  the  examination,  referring  to 
a  duty  which  might  be  laid  on  the  necessaries  of 
life,  Franklin  said  he  did  not  know  a  single  arti 
cle  imported  into  the  northern  colonies,  which 
they  could  not  "do  without  or  make  them 
selves." 

"  I  am  of  opinion,  that  before  their  old  clothes  are  worn 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  261 

out,  they  will  have  new  ones  of  their  own  making.  The 
people  will  all  spin,  and  work  for  themselves  in  their  own 
houses." 

To  the  question : 

"  Can  anything  less  than  a  military  force  carry  the  Stamp 
Act  into  execution?  " 

He  answered : 

"  I  do  not  see  how  a  military  force  can  be  applied  to  that 
purpose." 

"Why  may  it  not?" 

"  Suppose  a  military  force  sent  to  America,  they  will  fin4 
nobody  in  arms ;  what  are  they  then  to  do  ?  They  cannot 
force  a  man  to  take  stamps,  who  chooses  to  do  without 
them.  They  will  not  find  a  rebellion ;  they  may,  indeed, 
make  one." 

"  If  the  Stamp  Act  should  be  repealed,  would  it  induce 
the  Assemblies  of  America  to  acknowledge  the  right  of  Par 
liament  to  tax  them,  and  would  they  erase  their  resolu 
tions?" 

"No,  never." 

"  Are  there  no  means  of  obliging  them  to  erase  their  reso 
lutions  ?  " 

"None  that  I  know  of;  they  will  never  do  it,  unless  com 
pelled  by  force  of  arms." 

"  Is  there  a  power  on  earth  that  can  force  them  to  erase 
them?" 

"No  power,  how  great  soever,  can  force  men  to  change 
their  opinions." 

To  the  question : 

"  What  used  to  be  the  pride  of  the  Americana  ?  " 
The  answer  was  given : 

"  To  indulge  in  the  fashions  and  manufactures  of  Great 
Britain." 


262  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

And  to  the  next  and  final  one  : 
"  What  is  now  their  pride  ?  " 
He  responded  like  a  true  patriot : 

"  To  wear  their  old  clothes  over  again,  till  they  can  make 
new  ones." 

Having  spoken  thus  wisely  and  bravely,  he 
withdrew.  All  who  heard  him  bore  witness  to 
the  manliness  of  his  bearing,  and  his  complete 
mastery  of  the  subject. 

"  Our  worthy  friend,  Dr.  Franklin,"  wrote  George  Whit- 
field,  "  has  gained  immortal  honor  by  his  behavior  at  the 
bar  of  the  House.  The  answer  was  always  found  equal  if 
not  superior  to  the  questioner.  He  stood  unappalled,  gave 
pleasure  to  his  friends,  and  did  honor  to  his  country." 

"  The  dignity  of  his  bearing,"  says  Sparks,  "his  self-pos 
session,  the  promptness  and  propriety  with  which  he  replied 
to  each  interrogatory,  the  profound  knowledge  he  displayed 
upon  every  topic  presented  to  him,  his  perfect  acquaintance 
with  the  political  condition  and  internal  affairs  of  his  coun 
try,  the  fearlessness  with  which  he  defended  the  late  doings 
of  his  countrymen,  and  censured  the  measures  of  parlia 
ment,  his  pointed  expressions  and  characteristic  manner; 
all  these  combined  to  rivet  the  attention,  and  excite  the  as 
tonishment  of  his  audience.  And,  indeed,  there  is  no  event 
in  this  great  man's  life,  more  creditable  to  his  talents  and 
character,  or  more  honorable  to  his  fame,  than  this  exami 
nation  before  the  British  Parliament.  It  is  an  enduring 
monument  of  his  wisdom,  firmness,  sagacity,  and  patriot 
ism." 

From  that  day,  "  that  mother  of  mischiefs," 
as  he  termed  the  Stamp  Act,  was  doomed ;  and 
it  was  soon  repealed. 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN    FBANKLIN.  263 

A  fortnight  after  his  examination,  he  wrote  to 
his  wife  to  "  congratulate "  her  on  the  "  ex 
pected  "  repeal  of  the  Act,  and  on  the  "  great 
share  of  health"  they  both  enjoyed.  He  told  her 
of  Mr.  Whitfield  calling  on  him ;  and  that  he  had 
sent  "  some  curious  beans  for  her  garden." 

From  his  sister,  Mrs.  Mecorn,  he  received  a 
letter  of  congratulation.  Referring  to  his  health, 
she  said : 

"  I  liope  in  God  you  have  recovered  it,  and  will  live  long 
to  make  your  enemies  ashamed.  Your  answers  to  the  Par 
liament  are  thought  by  the  best  judges  to  exceed  all  that 
has  been  wrote  on  the  subject." 

This  was  the  judgment  of  Boston.  Then 
coming  down  from  the  great  theme,  she  talked 
of  matters  which  more  nearly  concerned  herself, 
but  which  she  knew  her  good  brother  would  be 
glad  to  attend  to : 

"  I  have  a  small  request  to  ask,  though  it  is  too  trifling  a 

thing  for  you  to  take  care  of It  is  to  procure  me 

some  fine  old  linen  or  cambric  (as  a  very  old  shirt  or  cam 
bric  handkerchiefs),  dyed  into  bright  colors,  such  as  red  and 
green,  a  little  blue,  but  chiefly  red;  for,  with  all  my  own 
art,  and  good  old  Uncle  Benjamin's  memorandums,  I  can't 
make  them  good  colors;  and  my  daughter  Jenny,  with  a 
little  of  my  assistance,  has  taken  to  making  flowers  for  the 
ladies,  heads  and  bosoms  with  pretty  good  acceptance,  and  if 
I  can  procure  those  colors,  I  am  in  hopes  we  shall  get  some 
thing  by  it  worth  our  pains  if  we  live  till  spring." 

An  indorsement  on  the  letter,  "  Sent  a  box  of 
millinery,''  makes  it  sure  that  the  aflairs  of  Par 
liament  or  Assembly  did  not  prevent  the  kind 


264  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN. 

brother  from  making  up  a  package  for  Boston. 
The  sister  well  knew  that  he  was  not  above  such 
brotherly  kindness,  as  she  had  often  received 
substantial  favors  from  him,  to  help  the  family 
over  a  hard  place.  At  the  beginning  of  the 
year,  nine  months  before,  she  wrote  to  Mrs 
Franklin,  from  Boston  : 

"  We  are  now  supplied  not  only  with  necessary  but  credit 
able  clothing,  for  brother  has  sent  each  of  us  a  printed  cot 
ton  gown,  a  quilted  coat,  a  bonnet,  each  of  the  girls  a  cap, 
and  some  ribbons.  Mine  is  very  suitable  for  me  to  wear 
now,  being  black,  and  a  purple  cotton;  but  the  girls'  are 
light  colored." 

Such  kindly  acts  are  more  honorable  to  Frank 
lin  than  all  his  achievements  in  science  and 
diplomacy. 

On  the  27th  he  had  the  pleasure  of  writing  to 
his  wife,  his  "  dear  child  "  : 

"  As  the  Stamp  Act  is  at  length  repealed,  I  am  willing 
you  should  have  a  new  gown,  which  you  may  suppose  I  did 
not  send  sooner,  as  I  knew  you  would  not  like  to  be  finer 
than  your  neighbors,  unless  in  a  gown  of  your  own  spinning. 
Had  the  trade  between  the  two  countries  totally  ceased,  it 
was  a  comfort  to  me  to  recollect  that  I  had  once  been  clothed 
from  head  to  foot  in  woolen  and  linen  of  my  wife's  manu 
facture,  that  I  never  was  prouder  of  any  dress  in  my  life, 
and  that  she  and  her  daughter  might  do  it  again  if  it  was 
necessary.  I  told  the  Parliament  that  it  was  my  opinion, 
before  the  old  clothes  of  the  Americans  were  worn  out,  they 
jaight  have  new  ones  of  their  own  making.  I  have  sent  you 
a  fine  piece  of  Pompadour  savin,  fourteen  yards,  cost  eleven 
shillings  a  yard ;  a  silk  negligee  and  petticoat  of  brocaded 
lutestring  for  my  dear  Sally,  with  two  dozen  gloves,  four 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  265 

bottles  of  lavender  water,  and  two  little  reels.  The  reels 
are  to  screw  on  the  edge  of  the  table,  when  she  would  wind 
silk  or  thread.  The  skein  is  to  be  put  over  them,  and  winds 
better  than  if  held  in  two  hands.  There  is  also  a  gimcrack 
corkscrew,  which  you  must  get  some  other  gimcrack  to 
show  you  the  use  of.  In  the  chest  is  a  parcel  of  books 
for  my  friend  Mr.  Coleman,  and  the  other  for  Cousin  Col 
bert.  ...  I  send  you  also  a  box  with  three  fine  cheeses. 
Perhaps  a  bit  of  them  may  be  left  when  I  come  home.  Mrs. 
Stevenson  has  been  very  diligent  and  serviceable  in  getting 
these  things  together  for  you,  and  presents  her  best  respects, 
as  does  her  daughter,  to  both  you  and  Sally.  .  .  . 

"  There  are  some  droll  prints  in  the  box,  which  were  given 
me  by  the  printer,  and,  being  sent  when  I  was  not  at  home, 
were  packed  up  without  my  knowledge.  I  think  he  was 
wrong  to  put  in  Lord  Bute,  who  had  nothing  to  do  with  the 
Stamp  Act." 

In  the  summer  of  1766,  in  company  with  Sir 
Thomas  Pringie,  the  Queen's  physician,  he  spent 
eight  weeks  on  the  continent,  for  the  benefit  of 
his  health,  visiting  Pyrmont,  Gottingen,  Han 
over,  and  some  of  the  leading  universities. 

The  subject  of  effecting  a  permanent  union 
between  England  and  America,  by  allowing  to 
the  latter  a  representation  in  parliament,  was 
much  discussed  at  this  time.  Franklin,  in  a 
letter  to  a  friend,  said  that  in  his  private  opinion 
this  would  be  "  the  best  for  the  whole." 

"  But,"  he  added,  "  I  think  it  will  never  be  done."  It  was 
too  late.  "  The  affair  is  now  in  the  situation  of  Friar  Ba 
con's  project  of  making  a  brazen  wall  round  England  for  its 
eternal  security.  His  servant,  Friar  Bungey,  slept  while 
the  brazen  head,  which  was  to  dictate  how  it  might  be  done, 


266  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

said,  Time  is  and  Time  was.  He  only  waked  to  hear  it  say, 
Time  is  paM.  An  explosion  followed,  that  tumbled  their 
house  about  the  conjuror's  ears." 

In  October  of  this  year,  Franklin  was  re-in 
stated  in  his  old  place  in  the  Assembly.  His 
daughter  Sally  wrote  from  Philadelphia  to  her 
brother  the  governor,  October  31,  1766  : 

"  '  The  old  ticket  forever  I  We  have  it  by  thirty-four  votes  I 
God  bless  our  worthy  and  noble  Ayent,  and  all  his  family  ! ' 
were  the  joyful  words  we  were  waked  with  at  two  or  three 
o'clock  this  morning,  by  the  White  Oaks.  They  then  gave 
us  three  hurras  and  a  blessing,  then  marched  off.  How 
strong  is  the  cause  of  truth !  We  have  beat  three  parties : 
the  Proprietary,  the  Presbyterians,  and  the  Half-and-Half." 


IiLFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  26*} 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

G-eorge  the  Third. —  Thackeray. —  Letter  to  his 
Wife. —  Necessity  of  Economy. —  Mr.  Bache. — 
His  House.  —  Sarah  Franklin.  —  Sir  John 
Pringle. —  Visits  Paris. —  Letter  to  Miss  Stev 
enson. —  Account  of  his  Journey,  and  of  his 
residence  at  Paris.  —  Ladies  Toilet.  —  Paint 
ing  the  Cheeks.  —  The  Queen.  —  Converses  with 
the  King.  — The  Royal  Supper.  —  Versailles. 
—  Paris.  —  French  Politicians.  —  Treatment 
of  Strangers. 

IN  the  year  1767,  to  which  we  are  now 
brought,  George  the  Third  was  in  the  seventh 
year  of  his  reign.  He  wanted  to  be  the  father 
of  his  people,  but  to  his  narrow  mind,  this  was 
to  be  done  by  strictly  enforcing  the  royal  au 
thority.  In  his  view,  the  Americans  had  grown 
to  be  altogether  too  wayward ;  they  were  put 
ting  on  too  many  airs ;  and  hence  he  naturally  in 
clined  to  measures  which  he  thought  were  likely 
to  improve  their  manners,  and  make  them  more 
pliant  subjects.  He  could  see  no  reason  wl  r 
they  should  not  be  taxed  whenever  he  and  par 
liament  so  decided,  and  it  has  been  supposed 
that  the  royal  signature  to  the  repeal  of  the 
Stamp  Act  was  obtained  only  by  passing  a  De- 


268  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

claratoiy  Act,  as  it  was  called,  which  affirmed 
" the  right "  of  parliament  "to  bind  the  colo 
nies  in  all  cases  whatsoever."  He  was  a  man 
of  petty  detail,  with  no  breadth,  and  no  fore 
sight.  He  could  tell,  says  Thackeray,  "  all  the 
facings,  and  the  exact  number  of  the  buttons, 
and  all  the  tags  and  laces,  and  the  cut  of  all 
the  cocked  hats,  pigtails,  and  gaiters  in  his 
army  ;  he  knew  the  smallest  particulars  regard 
ing  the  routine  of  ministers,  secretaries,  embas 
sies,  audiences.  .  .  .  Those  parts  of  the 
royal  business  he  was  capable  of  learning,  and 
he  learned."  But  how  to  manage  the  great 
affairs  of  states,  how  to  govern  a  free  people, 
was  utterly  beyond  his  power.  He  would  not 
consult  the  great  men,  like  Pitt  and  Burke,  but 
gave  ready  audience  to  those,  who,  either  because 
they  were  of  the  same  low  standard  as  himself, 
or  because  they  wanted  to  use  his  weakness  for 
their  own  ends,  flattered  his  little  pride,  and  en 
couraged  his  mulish  obstinacy. 

If  a  truly  great  and  wise  man  had  then  been 
on  the  throne,  the  difficulties  between  the  two 
countries  might  have  been  amicably  adjusted. 
As  it  was,  there  must  be  long  delays  of  justice, 
and  ungracious  concessions  doled  out,  in  a  spirit 
that  only  widened  the  breach  between  the  un 
natural  mother  and  the  suffering  child. 

The  repeal  of  the  one  most  offensive  measure 
did  not,  therefore,  relieve  Franklin  from  the  ne 
cessity  of  continuing  his  agency.  He  must  re 
main  yet  longer,  to  watch  the  course  of  events, 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    IivANKLIN.  269 

to  follow  up  any  advantage  gained,  to  dispel 
prejudices,  to  promote  good  feeling  toward  his 
country.  But  at  present  he  could  do  little  more 
than  wait.  In  June  he  wrote  to  his  wife  : 

"  It  seems  as  if  I  should  stay  here  another  winter,  and 
therefore  I  must  leave  it  to  your  judgment  to  act  in  the  af 
fair  of  our  daughter's  match,  as  shall  seem  best.  If  you 
think  it  a  suitable  one,  I  suppose  the  sooner  it  is  completed 
the  better.  In  that  case  I  would  advise,  that  you  do  not 
make  an  expensive  feasting  wedding,  but  conduct  everything 
with  frugality  and  economy,  which  our  circumstances  now 
require  to  be  observed  in  all  our  expenses.  For,  since  my 
partnership  with  Mr.  Hall  is  expired,  a  great  source  of 
our  income  is  cut  off;  and,  if  I  should  lose  the  post-office, 
which,  among  the  many  changes  here,  is  far  from  being  un 
likely,  we  should  be  reduced  to  our  rents  and  interest  of 
money  for  a  subsistence,  which  will  by  no  means  afford  the 
chargeable  housekeeping  and  entertainments  we  have  been 
used  to. 

"  For  my  own  part,  I  live  here  as  frugally  as  possible, 
not  to  be  destitute  of  the  comforts  of  life,  making  no  dinners 
for  anybody,  and  contenting  myself  with  a  simple  dish  when 
at  home ;  and  yet,  such  is  the  dearness  of  living  here,  in  ev 
ery  article,  that  my  expenses  amaze  me.  I  see  too,  by  the 
sums  you  have  received  in  my  absence,  that  yours  are  very 
great;  and  I  am  very  sensible  that  your  situation  naturally 
brings  you  a  great  many  visitors,  which  occasions  an  ex 
pense  not  easily  to  be  avoided,  especially  when  one  has  been 
long  in  the  practice  and  habit  of  it.  But  when  people's  in 
comes  are  lessened,  if  they  cannot  proportionally  lessen 
their  outgoings,  they  must  come  to  poverty.  If  we  were 
young  enough  to  begin  business  again,  it  might  be  another 
matter,  but  I  doubt  we  are  past  it,  and  business  not  well 
managed  rums  one  faster  than  no  business,  In  short, 


270  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN. 

with  frugality  and  prudent  care,  we  may  subsist  decently  on 
what  we  have,  and  leave  it  entire  to  our  children,  but  with 
out  such  care  we  shall  not  be  able  to  keep  it  together;  it 
will  melt  away  like  butter  in  the  sunshine,  and  we  may  live 
long  enough  to  feel  the  miserable  consequences  of  our  indis 
cretion. 

"I  know  very  little  of  the  gentleman  or  his  character, 
nor  can  I  at  this  distance.  I  hope  his  expectations  are  not 
great  of  any  fortune  to  be  had  with  our  daughter,  before  ouj 
death.  I  can  only  say  that  if  he  proves  a  good  husband  to 
her,  and  a  good  son  to  me,  he  shall  find  me  as  good  a  f  athei 
as  I  can  be;  but  at  present,  I  suppose  you  would  agree  with 
me,  that  we  cannot  do  more  than  fit  her  out  handsomely  in 
clothes  and  furniture,  not  exceeding  whole  five  hundred 
pounds  of  value.  For  the  rest,  they  must  depend,  as  you 
and  I  did,  on  their  own  industry  and  care,  as  what  remains 
in  our  hands  will  be  barely  sufficient  for  our  support,  anu 
not  enough  for  them  when  it  comes  to  be  divided  at  our 
decease. 

"  I  suppose  the  blue  room  is  too  blue,  the  wood  being  of 
the  same  color  with  the  paper,  and  so  looks  too  dark.  I 
would  have  you  furnish,  as  soon  as  you  can,  thus ;  paint  the 
wainscot  a  dead  white ;  paper  the  walls  blue,  and  tack  the 
gilt  border  round,  just  above  the  surbase,  and  under  the 
cornices.  If  the  paper  is  not  equally  colored,  when  pasted 
on,  let  it  be  brushed  over  again  with  the  same  color,  and  let 
the  papier  mache  musical  figures  be  tacked  to  the  middle  of 
the  ceiling.  When  this  is  done,  I  think  it  will  look  very 
well. 

"  I  am  glad  to  hear  that  Sally  keeps  up,  and  increases  the 
number  of  her  friends.  The  best  wishes  of  a  fond  father 
for  her  happiness,  always  attend  her." 

The  young  gentleman  here  referred  to 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FKANKL1N.  271 

Richard  Baehe,  to  whom  Sarah  Franklin  was 
married  on  the  twenty-ninth  of  the  following 
October,  in  her  twenty-third  year. 

In  August,  1767,  again  in  company  with  his 
"  steady,  good  friend,"  Sir  John  Pringle,  Frank 
lin  visited  Paris.  In  a  letter  from  that  city,  the 
fourteenth  of  the  month,  to  Miss  Stevenson,  he 
says : 

"All  the  way  to  Dover  we  were  furnished  with  post- 
chaises,  hung  so  as  to  lean  forward,  the  top  coming  down 
over  our  eyes,  like  a  hood,  as  if  to  prevent  one's  seeing  the 
country;  which,  being  one  of  my  great  pleasures,  I  was  in 
perpetual  disputes  with  the  innkeepers,  ostlers,  and  postil 
lions,  about  getting  the  straps  taken  up  a  hole  or  two  before, 
and  let  down  as  much  behind,  they  insisting  that  the  chaise 
leaning  forward  was  an  ease  to  the  horses,  and  that  the  con 
trary  would  kill  them.  I  suppose  the  chaise  leaning  for 
ward  looks  to  them  like  a  willingness  to  go  forward,  and 
that  its  hanging  back  shows  reluctance 

"  At  Dover,  the  next  morning,  we  embarked  for  Calais, 
with  a  number  of  passengers,  who  had  never  before  been  at 
sea.  They  would  previously  make  a  hearty  breakfast,  be 
cause,  if  the  wind  should  fail,  we  might  not  get  over  till 
supper  time.  Doubtless  they  thought  that,  when  they  had 
paid  for  their  breakfast,  they  had  a  right  to  it,  and  that 
when  they  had  swallowed  it,  they  were  sure  of  it.  But  they 
had  scarce  been  out  half  an  hour,  before  the  sea  laid  claim  to 
it,  and  they  were  obliged  to  deliver  it  up.  So  that  it  seems 
there  are  uncertainties,  even  beyond  those  between  the  cup 
and  the  lip.  If  ever  you  go  to  sea,  take  my  advice,  and  live 
sparingly  a  day  or  two  beforehand.  The  sickness,  if  any, 
will  be  lighter,  and  sooner  over.  We  got  to  Calais  that 
evening.  .  .  . 

"  The  roads  we  found  equally  good  with  ours  in  England, 


272  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN  FB^KKLIN. 

in  some  places  paved  with  smooth  stones,  like  our  new 
streets,  for  many  miles  together,  and  rows  of  trees  on  each 
fiide,  and  yet  there  are  no  turnpikes.  But  then  the  poor 
peasants  complained  to  us  grievously,  that  they  were  obliged 
to  work  upon  the  roads  full  two  months  in  the  year,  with 
out  being  paid  for  their  labor.  .  .  . 

"  The  women  we  saw  at  Calais,  on  the  road,  at  Boulogne, 
and  in  the  inns  and  villages,  were  generally  of  dark  complec- 
tion ;  but  arriving  at  Abbeville,  we  found  a  sudden  change, 
a  multitude  of  both  women  and  men  in  that  place  appear 
ing  remarkably  fair.  Whether  this  is  owing  to  a  small  colony 
of  spinners  and  wool-combers  and  weavers,  brought  hither 
from  Holland  with  the  woolen  manufactory,  about  sixty 
years  ago,  or  to  their  being  less  exposed  to  the  sun  than  in 
other  places,  I  know  not.  .  .  . 

"  As  soon  as  we  left  Abbeville,  the  swarthiness  returned. 
I  speak  generally ;  for  here  are  some  fair  women  at  Paris, 
who,  I  think,  are  not  whitened  by  art.  As  to  rouge, 
they  don't  pretend  to  imitate  nature  in  laying  it  on.  There 
is  no  gradual  diminution  of  the  color,  from  the  bloom  in  the 
middle  of  the  cheek  to  the  faint  tint  near  the  sides,  nor  does 
it  show  itself  differently  in  different  faces.  I  have  not  had 
the  honor  of  being  at  any  lady's  toilette  to  see  how  it  is 
aid  on,  but  I  fancy  I  can  tell  how  it  is  or  may  be  done, 
tut  a  hole  of  three  inches  diameter,  in  a  piece  of  paper; 
place  it  on  the  side  of  your  face  in  such  a  manner  as  that 
the  top  of  the  hole  may  be  just  under  the  eye;  then,  with  a 
brush  dipped  in  the  ^olor,  paint  face  and  paper  together;  so 
when  the  paper  is  taken  off,  there  will  remain  a  round  patch 
of  red,  exactly  the  form  of  the  hole.  This  is  the  mode,  from 
the  actresses  on  the  stage,  upwards  through  all  ranks  of 
ladies  to  the  princesses  of  the  blood;  but  it  stops  there,  the 
Queen  not  using  it,  having '  in  the  serenity,  complacence, 
and  benignity  that  shine  so  eminently  in,  or  rather  through 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  273 

her  countenance,    sufficient  beauty,  though    now    an  old 
woman,  to  do  extremely  well  without  it. 

"  You  see  I  speak  of  the  Queen  as  if  I  had  seen  her;  and 
so  I  have,  for  you  must  know  I  have  been  to  court.  We 
went  to  Versailles  last  Sunday,  and  had  the  honor  of  being 
presented  to  the  King  [Louis  XV.] ;  he  spoke  to  both  of  us 
very  graciously  and  very  cheerfully,  is  a  handsome  man,  has 
a  very  lively  look,  and  appears  a  younger  man  than  he  is. 
In  the  evening  we  were  at  the  Grand  Convert,  where  the 
family  sup  in  public.  The  table  was  half  a  hollow  square, 
the  service  gold.  When  either  made  a  sign  for  drink,  the 
word  was  given  by  one  of  the  waiters ;  A  boire  pour  le  Roi, 
or  A  boire  pour  la  Reine.  Then  two  persons  came  from 
within;  the  one  with  wine  and  the  other  with  water  in 
carafes;  each  drank  a  little  glass  of  what  he  brought,  and 
then  put  both  the  carafes  with  a  glass  on  a  salver,  and  then 
presented  it.  Their  distance  from  each  other  was  such,  as 
that  other  chairs  might  have  been  placed  between  any  two 
of  them.  An  officer  of  the  court  brought  us  up  through  the 
crowd  of  spectators,  and  placed  Sir  John  so  as  to  stand  be 
tween  the  Queen  and  Madame  Victoire.  The  King  talked 
a  good  deal  to  Sir  John,  asking  many  questions  about  our 
regal  family ;  and  did  me  too  the  honor  of  taking  some  notice  of 
me ;  that  is  saying  enough ;  for  I  would  not  have  you  think 
me  so  much  pleased  with  this  King  and  Queen,  as  to  have 
a  whit  less  regard  than  I  used  to  have  for  ours.  No  French 
man  shall  go  beyond  me  in  thinking  my  own  King  and 
Queen  the  very  best  in  the  world,  and  the  most  amiable." 

And  the  person  who  said  this  was  Dr.  Frank 
lin,  and  the  king  was  George  the  Third !  But 
the  time  was  not  distant,  when  the  Doctor,  who 
now  imagined  himself  so  very  loyal,  would  see 
his  "  amiable  "  monarch  in  quite  another  light. 
The  letter  goes  on  to  say : 


274  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

"Versailles  has  had  infinite  sums  laid  out  in  building  it 
and  supplying  it  with  water.  Some  say  the  expenses  ex 
ceeded  eighty  millions  sterling.  The  range  of  buildings  is 
immense;  the  garden-lront  most  magnificent,  of  hewn 
stone;  the  number  of  statues,  figures,  urns,  &c.,  in  marble 
and  bronze  of  exquisite  workmanship  is  beyond 
conception.  But  the  water-works  are  out  of  repair,  and 
so  is  great  part  of  the  front  next  the  town,  looking 
with  its  shabby,  half-brick  walls,  and  broken  windows,  not 
much  better  than  the  houses  in  Durham  Yard.  There  is,  in 
short,  both  at  Versailles  and  Paris,  a  prodigious  mixture  of 
magnificence  and  negligence,  with  every  kind  of  elegance, 
except  that  of  cleanliness,  and  what  we  call  tidiness. 
Though  I  must  do  Paris  the  justice  to  say,  that  in  two  parts 
of  cleanliness  they  exceed  us.  The  water  they  drink,  though 
from  the  river,  they  render  as  pure  as  that  of  the  best  spring 
by  filtering  it  through  cisterns  filled  with  sand;  and  the 
streets  with  constant  sweeping  are  fit  to  walk  in,  though 
there  is  no  paved  foot-path.  Accordingly,  many  well-dressed 
people  are  constantly  seen  walking  In  them.  The  crowd  of 
coaches  and  chaises  for  this  reason  is  not  so  great.  Men,  as 
well  as  women,  carry  umbrellas  in  their  hands,  which  they 
extend  in  case  of  rain  or  too  much  sun;  and,  a  man  with  an 
umbrella  not  taking  up  more  than  three  foot  square,  or  nine 
square  feet  of  the  street,  when,  if  in  a  coach,  he  would  take 
up  two  hundred  and  forty  square  feet,  you  can  easily  con 
ceive,  that  though  the  streets  here  are  narrow,  they  may  be 
much  less  incumbered.  They  are  extremely  well  paved,  and 
the  stones,  being  generally  cubes,  when  worn  on  one  side, 
may  be  turned  and  become  new. 

"  The  civilities  we  everywhere  receive  give  us  the  strong 
est  impressions  of  the  French  politeness.  It  seems  to  be  a 
point  settled  here  universally,  that  strangers  are  to  be 
treated  with  respect;  and  one  has  just  the  same  deference 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  275 

shown  one  here  by  being  a  stranger,  as  in  England  by  being 
a  lady. 

4<  The  custom-house  officers  at  Port  St.  Denis,  as  we  entered 
Paris,  were  about  to  seize  two  dozen  of  excellent  Bordeaux 
wine  given  us  at  Boulogne,  and  which  we  brought  with  us ; 
but,  as  soon  as  they  found  we  were  strangers,  it  was  immedi 
ately  remitted  on  that  account.  At  the  church  of  Notre 
Dame,  where  we  went  to  see  a  magnificent  illumination, 
with  figures,  &c.,  for  the  deceased  Dauphiness,  we  found  an 
immense  crowd,  who  were  kept  out  by  guards ;  but,  the  offi 
cer  being  told  that  we  were  strangers  from  England,  he  im 
mediately  admitted  us,  accompanied  us  and  showed  us  every 
thing.  Why  don't  we  practice  this  urbanity  to  Frenchmen  ? 
Why  should  they  be  allowed  to  outdo  us  in  everything  ?  .  . 

"  Travelling  is  one  way  of  lengthening  life,  at  least  in  ap 
pearance.  It  is  but  about  a  fortnight  since  we  left  London, 
but  the  variety  of  scenes  we  have  gone  through,  makes  it 
seem  equal  to  six  months  living  in  one  place.  Perhaps  I 
have  suffered  a  greater  change  too,  in  my  own  person,  than 
I  could  have  done  in  six  years  at  home.  I  had  not  been 
here  six  days,  before  my  tailor  and  perruquier  had  trans 
formed  me  into  a  Frenchman.  Only  think  what  a  figure  I 
make  in  a  little  bag-wig  and  with  naked  ears !  They  told 
me  I  was  become  twenty  years  younger,  and  looked  gallant. 

And  pray  look  upon  it  as  no  small  matter,  that,  surrounded 
as  I  am  by  all  the  glories  of  the  world,  and  amusements  of 
all  sorts,  I  remember  you  and  Dolly  and  all  the  dear  good 
folks  at  Bromley.  It  is  true,  I  cannot  help  it,  but  must  and 
ever  shall  remember  you  all  with  pleasure. 

"  Need  I  add,  that  I  am  particularly,  my  dear  good  friend, 
"Yours  most  affectionately." 


276  LITE  OF  BENJAMIN   FBANKLTN. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

Obnoxious  Acts  of  Parliament.  —  Duties  on  Tea, 
•Paper,  Glass,  and  Other  Imported  Articles.  — 
American  Manufactures  Forbidden. —  Outbreaks 
in  America.  —  Dr.   Franklin    Writes  for   the 
London   Chronicle,  on  Causes  of  the  American 
Discontents.  —  Letter  to  His  Wife.  —  Acknowl 
edges  Receipt  of  Apples,  Indian  Meal,  etc.  — 
American  Nuts.  —  Lady  Bathurst.  —  Election 
of  a  New  Parliament.  —  John  Wilkes.  —  Riots. 
— Dr.  Franklin  artfully  Approached  by  Friends 
of  the   Grovernment.  —  Office  of  Under  Secre 
tary.  — Not  to  be  Bought.  — Letter  to  His  Sis 
ter.  —  To  His  Son.  —  Mr.  G-renville.  —  Frank 
lin's  Son.  —  Wishes  to  Return  Home.  —  Still 
Delayed. — Agent  for  Georgia. — Letter  to  John 
Alleyne. — Early  Marriages. — Letter  of  Ad 
vice  to    Miss    Stevenson.  —  Treatment   of   the 
Aged.  —  Chosen    President   of   the  American 
Philosophical  Society.  —  A  Practical  Philoso 
pher. —  A    Telescope  for  Harvard  College.  — 
Oats.  —  Swiss   Barley.  —  Culture   of  Silk.  — 
Smoky    Chimneys.  —  Oxen  on    the    Farm.  — 
Rhubarb. —  Chinese   Cheese. —  Construction  of 
French    Houses.  —  Letter  to    John    Bartram. 
—  Parmesan  Cheese.  —  Letter  to  His  Wife.  — 
His  Health.  —  Letter  from  Miss  Stevenson.  — 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  27 T 

A  Young  Physician. — Dr.  Franklins  Reply. 
—  Phonography.  —  Modesty  in  Opinions.  — 
Pope's  Rule.  —  Letter  to  Miss  Stevenson  about 
a  Proposal  of  Marriage.  —  What  He  Thinks  of 
Giving  Advice. 

THE  repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act  was  followed  by 
other  Acts  equally  obnoxious  to  the  Americans. 
They  were  taxed  on  many  of  the  most  common 
articles,  as  glass,  paper,  tea,  painters,  colors,  etc., 
a  set  of  commissioners  being  sent  over  to  attend 
to  the  collection  of  these  duties.  Every  means 
was  employed  to  forbid  or  discourage  manufac 
tures  in  the  colonies.*  The  hatters  of  England 
had  got  an  act  passed  compelling  the  Americans 
to  send  their  beavers  abroad  to  be  made  into 
hats,  and  the  nail  and  steel-makers  had  prevailed 
on  Parliament  to  forbid  the  erection  of  slitting 
and  steel  furnaces  in  America.  Not  an  article 
could  the  colonists  manufacture  oat  of  the  iron 
that  abounded  in  the  country,  except  for  private 
use.  No  wool  could  be  sold  from  town  to  town, 
nor  a  hat  from  one  colony  to  another.  And 
further,  Great  Britain  not  only  put  duties  upon 
her  own  manufactures  exported  to  America,  but 
forbade  the  colonists  to  trade  with  any  other 
country,  or  export  to  England  their  own  mer 
chandise,  except  in  British  vessels.  Wine,  fruit 
and  oil  were  not  allowed  to  be  brought  direct 
from  Spain  and  Portugal,  nor  could  iron  be  car 
ried  direct  to  foreign  markets.  The  interests  of 

*  Sparks,  and  Speech  of  E.  C.  Cowdin. 


278  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

English  manufactures  and  trades  must  be  exclu 
sively  consulted. 

No  wonder  the  Americans  thought  England 
was  a  strange  mother,  or  that  their  indignation 
sometimes  exceeded  the  bounds  of  propriety. 
And  when  troops  were  stationed  in  Boston  and 
New  York  to  restrain  these  popular  outbreaks, 
the  people  became  still  more  excited  and  alarmed. 
These  demonstrations,  many  of  which  were  re 
gretted  by  the  more  prudent  Americans,  were 
made  use  of  in  England  to  damage  the  just 
claims  of  the  colonies,  and  to  provoke  more 
stringent  measures  against  them. 

Dr.  Franklin,  ever  watchful  for  the  interests 
of  the  colonies,  felt  called  upon  to  write  an  arti 
cle  for  the  London  Chronicle^  Causes  of  the 
American  Discontents,  for  the  purpose  of  calm 
ing  the  public  excitement  against  America. 
The  editor  took  the  liberty  to  prune  it  of  what 
he  regarded  offensive  passages  :  "  He  has  drawn 
the  teeth,"  says  the  author,  "and pared  the  nails 
of  my  paper,  so  that  it  can  neither  scratch  nor 
bite.  It  seems  only  to  paw  and  mumble."  This 
was  in  1768. 

In  February  of  that  year,  Franklin  wrote  to 
his  wife : 

"  I  have  received  also  the  Indian  and  buckwheat  meal, 

*    *    *    with  the  apples,  cranberries  and  nuts,  for  all 

which  I  thank  you.    They  all  prove  good,  and  the  apples 

were  particularly  welcome  to  me  and  my  friends,  as  there 

happens  to  be  scarce  of  any  kind  in  England  this  year    .    . 

"I  am  much  concerned  for  my  dear  sister's  love  of  her 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FKANKLIN.  279 

daughter.  It  was  kind  in  you  to  write  a  letter  of  con 
dolence.  I  have  also  written  to  her  upon  the  occasion.  I 
am  not  determined  about  bringing  Sally  *  over  with  me,  but 
am  obliged  to  you  for  the  kind  manner  in  which  you  speak 
of  it,  and  possibly  I  may  conclude  to  do  it.  *  *  • 

"P.  S.  I  forgot  to  tell  you  that  a  certain  great  lady,  the 
best  woman  in  England,  was  graciously  pleased  to  accept 
some  of  your  nuts,  and  to  say  they  were  excellent." 

With  these  nuts,  he  sent  the  following  note : 

"  Dr.  Franklin  presents  his  respectful  compliments  to  Lord 
Bathurst,  with  some  American  nuts;  and  to  Lady  Bathurst 
with  some  American  apples ;  which  he  prays  they  will  ac 
cept  as  a  tribute  from  that  country,  small  indeed,  but  volun 
tary." 

About  this  time,  the  country  was  agitated 
over  the  election  of  a  new  Parliament. 

"All  the  members,"  says  Franklin,  "are  now  in  their 
counties  and  boroughs,  among  their  drunken  electors.  .  . 
It  is  thought  that  near  two  millions  will  be  spent  this  elec 
tion  ;  but  those  who  understand  figures  and  act  by  computa 
tion,  say  the  crown  has  two  millions  a  year  in  places  and 
pensions  to  dispose  of." 

In  London,  especially,  there  was  intense  excite 
ment  about  John  Wilkes,  "  an  outlaw  and  an  ex 
ile,"  says  Franklin,  "  of  bad  personal  character, 
not  worth  a  farthing,"  who  came  over  from 
France,  and  u  set  himself  up  as  a  candidate  for 
the  capital  of  the  kingdom  ;  "  a  worthless  dem 
agogue  who  turned  the  heads  of  the  populace  by 
abusing  the  government,  and  making  great  pre 
tensions  to  be  a  friend  of  liberty. 

*  Sally  Franklin,  daughter  of  Thomas  Franklin,  a  remote  family  connec 
tion.  As  her  father  was  poor,  Dr.  Franklin  took  charge  of  her  for  several 
years. 


280  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN. 

"  London  was  illuminated  two  nights  running  at  the  com 
mand  of  the  mob,  for  the  success  of  Wilkes,  in  the  Middle- 
sex  election.  The  second  night  exceeded  anything  of  the 
kind  ever  seen  here  on  the  greatest  occasions  of  rejoicing, 
as  even  the  small  cross-streets,  lanes,  courts,  and  other  out- 
of-the-way  places  were  all  in  a  blaze  with  lights,  and  the 
principal  streets,  all  night  long,  as  the  mobs  went  round 
again,  after  two  o'clock,  and  obliged  people  who  had  extin 
guished  their  candles  to  light  them  again.  Those  who  re 
fused  had  their  windows  all  destroyed.  The  damage  done 
and  expense  of  candles  have  been  computed  at  fifty  thou 
sand  pounds : 

Writing  about  a  month  later,  he  said : 

"  Even  this  capital,  the  residence  of  the  king,  is  now  a 
daily  scene  of  lawless  riot  and  confusion.  Mobs  patrolling 
the  streets  at  noonday,  some  knocking  all  down  that  will 
not  roar  for  Wilkes  and  liberty;  courts  of  justice  afraid  to 
give  judgment  against  him ;  coal-heavers  and  porters  pulling 
down  the  houses  of  coal-merchants,  that  refuse  to  give  them 
more  wages;  sawyers  destroying  saw-mills;  sailors  unrig 
ging  all  the  outward  bound  ships,  and  suffering  none  to  sail 
till  merchants  agree  to  raise  their  pay ;  watermen  destroying 
private  boats,  and  threatening  bridges ;  soldiers  firing  among 
the  mobs,  and  killing  men,  women  and  children,  which 
seems  only  to  have  produced  a  universal  sullenness,  that 
looks  like  a  great  black  cloud  coming  on,  ready  to  burst  in  a 
general  tempest. 

"  While  I  am  writing,  a  great  mob  of  coal-porters  fills  the 
street,  carrying  a  wretch  of  their  business  upon  poles  to  be 
ducked,  and  otherwise  to  be  punished  at  their  pleasure,  for 
working  at  the  old  wages.  All  respect  to  law  and  govern 
ment  seems  to  be  lost  among  the  common  people,  who  are, 
moreover,  continually  inflamed  by  seditious  scribblers,  to 
trample  on  authority,  and  everything  that  used  to  keep  them 
to  order." 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FBAXKLIX.  281 

About  BIX  weeks  later,  July  2nd,  he  writes : 

"  The  tumults  and  disorders  that  prevailed  here  lately, 
have  now  pretty  well  subsided.  Wilkes*  outlawry  is  re 
versed,  but  he  is  •»*$**•*&  to  twenty-two  months  imprison 
ment,  and  one  thousand  pounds  fine.  •  •  '  The  importa 
tion  of  corn,  a  pretty  good  hay  harvest,  now  near  over, 
and  the  prospect  of  plenty  from  a  fine  crop  of  wheat,  make 
the  poor  more  patient" 

Meanwhile  Franklin  had  been  approached  by 
leading  men  in  the  government,  with  reference 
to  his  appointment  to  some  important  office ;  that 
of  Under-Secretary  of  State,  as  some  said.  And 
certainly  it  would  have  been  a  great  gain  to  the 
ministry  to  secure,  as  a  permanent  friend  of  Eng 
lish  interests,  a  man  of  so  much  consequence  as 
Franklin.  A  report  that  he  was  not  disinclined 
to  listen  to  such  a  proposal  went  to  America, 
and  was  diligently  spread  by  his  enemies  there. 
A  letter  from  his  sister,  at  Boston,  expressed 
much  concern  about  it,  and  in  his  reply  he  said : 

"  I  am  now  grown  too  old  to  be  ambitious  of  such  a  sta 
tion  as  that  which  you  say  has  been  mentioned  to  you. 
Repose  is  mere  fit  for  me,  and  much  more  suitable  to  my 
wishes.  There  is  no  danger  of  such  a  thing  being  offered  to 
me.  and  I  am  sue  I  dull  never  ask  it  But  even  if  it  were 
offered,  I  certainly  could  not  accept  it,  to  act  under  such  in 
structions  as  I  know  must  be  given  with  it.  So  yon  may  to 
quite  easy  on  that  head." 

In  a  letter  to  his  son,  the  governor,  referring 
to  the  Duke  of  Grafton,  lie  said : 

"  I  must  tell  you  *h^t,  though  I  did  not  think  fit  to  decline 
any  favor  BO  gnat  *  man  expressed  an  inclination  to  do 


282  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

me,  because,  at  court,  if  one  shows  an  unwillingness  to  be 
obliged,  it  is  often  construed  as  a  mark  of  mental  hostility, 
and  one  makes  an  enemy ;  yet,  so  great  is  my  inclination  to 
be  at  home  and  at  rest,  that  I  shall  not  be  sorry  if  this  busi 
ness  falls  through,  and  I  am  suffered  to  retire  with  my  old 
post  (as  Postmaster  General) ;  nor,  indeed,  very  sorry  if  they 
take  that  from  me  too,  on  account  of  my  zeal  for  America, 
in  which  some  of  my  friends  have  hinted  to  me  that  I  have 
been  too  open.  •  *  *  *  If  Mr.  Grenville  [the  author  of 
the  Stamp  Act]  comes  into  power  again,  in  any  department 
respecting  America,  I  must  refuse  to  accept  of  anything  that 
may  seem  to  put  me  in  his  power,  because  I  apprehend  a 
breach  between  the  two  countries ;  and  that  refusal  might 
give  offence.  So  that,  you  see,  a  turn  of  a  die  may  make 
a  great  difference  in  our  affairs.  We  may  be  either  pro 
moted  or  discarded ;  one  or  the  other  seems  likely  soon  to  be 
the  case,  but  it  is  hard  to  divine  which.  I  am,  myself,  grown 
so  old  (now  sixty-two),  as  to  feel  much  less  than  formerly  the 
spur  of  ambition ;  and,  if  it  were  not  for  the  flattering  ex 
pectation,  that  by  being  here  I  might  more  effectually  serve 
my  country,  I  should  certainly  determine  for  retirement, 
without  a  moment's  hesitation." 

It  is  plain  that  Franklin's  acceptance  of  office, 
should  a  place  be  offered  him,  if  considered  at 
all,  could  only  be  under  a  ministry  friendly  to 
America,  and  in  the  expectation  of  such  a  policy 
being  pursued  as  would  satisfy  her  people  and 
make  them  a  contented  portion  of  the  British 
Empire.  At  no  rate  would  he  take  office  under 
a  ministry  like  that  of  Grenville. 

Whatever  the  hints  or  proposals  of  this  or  that 
great  man  may  have  amounted  to,  no  offer  seems 
ever  to  have  been  formally  made,  and  after 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN.  283 

awhile  Franklin  heard  no  more  of  the  subject; 
which  was  fortunate,  for  himself  and  for  Amer 
ica.  As  an  English  place-holder,  his  voice  for 
the  country  of  his  birth  would  have  been  com 
paratively  hesitating  and  feeble,  though  it  could 
not  possibly  have  been  silenced ;  or  else  a  rupt 
ure  would  have  come,  that  must  have  widened 
the  breach.  From  such  a  calamity  and  snare  the 
father  was  saved ;  while  the  son,  less  nobly  en 
dowed,  yielded  and  was  entrapped. 

Franklin  now  thought  of  returning  to  Amer 
ica.  In  the  present  troubled  state  of  affairs,  the 
business  of  his  Agency  could  not  be  prosecuted 
successfully,  and  his  private  concerns  required 
his  personal  attention  at  home.  But  his  ap 
pointment  as  agent  for  Georgia  determined  him 
to  delay  his  return. 

Amid  these  political  affairs,  he  was  ready  to 
turn  his  thoughts  to  other  themes,  when  lie 
could  serve  his  friends.  One  of  them,  John 
Alley ne,  having  taken  a  step  for  which  some 
persons  had  blamed  him,  wished  to  obtain  the 
opinion  of  so  wise  a  man  as  Franklin,  which  he 
gave  in  a  letter : 

"  Dear  Jack,  you  desire,  you  say,  my  impartial  thoughts 
on  the  subject  of  an  early  marriage,  by  way  of  answer  to  the 
numberless  objections  that  have  been  made  by  numerous 
persons  to  your  own.  You  may  remember,  when  you  con 
sulted  me  on  the  occasion,  that  I  thought  youth  on  both 
sides  to  be  no  objection.  Indeed,  from  the  marriages  that 
have  fallen  under  my  observation,  I  am  rather  inclined  to 
think  that  early  ones  stand  the  best  chance  of  happiness. 
The  temper  and  habits  of  the  young  are  not  become  so  stiff 


284          LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FBANKUN. 

and  uncomplying,  as  when  more  advanced  in  life:  they  form 
more  easily  to  each  other,  and  hence  many  occasions  of  dis 
gust  are  removed.  •  •  •  • 

"  With  us  in  America,  marriages  are  generally  in  the 
morning  of  life;  our  children  are  therefore  educated  and 
settled  in  the  world  by  noon ;  and  thus,  our  business  being 
done,  we  have  an  afternoon  and  evening  of  cheerful  leisure 
to  ourselves.  •  •  •  • 

"In  fine,  I  am  glad  you  are  married,  and  congratulate  you 
most  cordially  upon  it.  Tou  are  now  in  the  way  of  becom 
ing  a  useful  citizen,  and  you  have  escaped  the  unnatural 
state  of  celibacy  for  life,  the  fate  of  many  here,  who  never 
intended  it,  but  who,  having  too  long  postponed  the  change 
of  their  condition,  find  at  length  that  it  is  too  late  to  think 
of  it,  and  so  live  all  their  lives  in  a  situation  that  greatly 
lessons  a  man's  value.  An  odd  volume  of  a  set  of  books 
bears  not  the  value  of  its  proportion  to  the  set.  What  think 
you  of  the  odd  half  of  a  pair  of  scissors?  It  cannot  well 
cut  anything;  it  may  possibly  serve  to  scrape  a  trencher. 

"Pray  make  my  compliments  and  best  wishes  acceptable 
to  your  bride.  I  am  old  and  heavy,  or  I  should  ere  this 
have  presented  them  in  person.  I  shall  make  but  small  use 
of  the  old  man's  privilege,  that  of  giving  advice  to  younger 
friends.  Treat  your  wife  always  with  respect;  it  will  pro 
cure  respect  to  you,  not  only  from  her,  but  from  all  that  ob 
serve  it.  Never  use  a  slighting  expression  to  her,  even  in 
jest,  for  slights  in  jest,  after  frequent  bandyings,  are  apt  to 
end  in  angry  earnest.  Be  studious  in  your  profession,  and 
you  will  be  learned.  Be  industrious  and  frugal,  and  you 
will  be  rich.  Be  sober  and  temperate,  and  you  will  be 
healthy.  Be  in  general  virtuous,  and  you  will  be  happy. 
At  least,  you  will,  by  such  conduct,  stand  the  best  chance 
for  such  consequences.  I  pray  God  to  bless  you  both; 

"  being  YOUB  EVEE  AFFECTIONATE  FBIEND." 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FKANKLIN.  285 

About  two  months  later,  his  friend  Miss 
Stevenson  sought  his  advice  as  to  her  duty 
towards  an  aged  female  friend  or  relative.  This 
person  had  been  under  her  care,  but  some  infe 
licities  of  temper  on  the  part  of  the  former  had 
led  to  a  separation.  But  it  was  evident  that, 
with  her  infirmities,  she  was  unhappy  apart  from 
the  company  and  care  of  her  young  friend,  and 
it  was  a  question  with  Miss  Stevenson  whether 
she  ought  not  to  live  with  her,  though  it  might  be 
inconsistent  with  her  happiness  or  interest.  She 
wanted  to  know  the  Doctor's  opinion.  He  re 
plied  : 

"  My  advice  must  be,  that  you  return  to  her  as  soon  as  the 
time  proposed  for  your  visit  is  expired ;  and  that  you  con 
tinue,  by  every  means  in  your  power,  to  make  the  remainder 
of  her  days  as  comfortable  to  her  as  possible.  Invent 
amusements  for  her ;  be  pleased  when  she  accepts  of  them, 
aud  patient  when  she  perhaps  peevishly  rejects  them.  I 
know  this  is  hard,  but  I  think  you  are  equal  to  it ;  not  from 
any  servility  of  temper,  but  from  abundant  goodness.  •  * 

"  Nothing  is  more  apt  to  sour  the  temper  of  aged  people, 
than  the  apprehension  that  they  are  neglected;  and  they  are 
extremely  apt  to  entertain  such  suspicions.  It  was  therefore 
that  I  proposed  asking  her  to  be  of  our  late  party;  but,  your 
mother  disliking  it,  the  motion  was  dropped,  as  some  others 
have  been,  by  my  too  great  easiness,  contrary  to  my  judg 
ment.  Not  but  that  I  was  sensible  her  being  with  us  might 
have  lessened  our  pleasures,  but  I  hoped  it  might  have  pre 
vented  you  some  pain. 

"  In  fine,  nothing  can  contribute  to  true  happiness,  that  is 
inconsistent  with  duty ;  nor  can  a  course  of  action,  conform 
able  to  it,  be  finally  without  an  ample  reward.  For  God 


286  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN. 

governs ;  and  he  is  good.  I  pray  him  to  direct  you;  and,  in 
deed,  you  will  never  be  without  his  direction,  if  you  humbly 
ask  it,  and  show  yourself  always  ready  to  obey  it.  Fare 
well,  my  dear  friend,  and  believe  me  ever  sincerely  and 
affectionately  yours." 

This  letter  is  alike  honorable  to  the  writer,  and 
to  the  lady  to  whom  it  was  addressed. 

It  was  about  this  time  that  the  King  of  Den 
mark,  Christian  VII.,  visited  England.  He 
sought  the  acquaintance  of  the  world-renowned 
philosopher,  and  when  he  made  a  dinner-party, 
of  sixteen  guests,  most  of  them  foreign  ambas 
sadors  and  officers  of  distinction,  Franklin  was 
one  of  the  company. 

It  was  not  long  after,  that  he  received  a  grat 
ifying  mark  of  respect  from  his  own  country 
men.  He  was  chosen  President  of  the  Ameri 
can  Philosophical  Society;  an  honor  continued 
to  him  from  year  to  year  as  long  as  he  lived. 
He  felt  a  deep  interest  in  its  objects,  and  contrib 
uted  to  its  Transactions  some  valuable  papers. 

He  was  not  a  mere  philosopher  of  the  closet ; 
whatever  he  discovered  or  observed,  he  sought 
to  turn'to  some  practical  account  for  the  benefit 
of  his  fellow  men.  He  put  himself  to  much 
pains  to  obtain  and  send  over  to  America,  a  tel 
escope  for  Harvard  College,  and  he  also  pro 
cured  from  Mr.  Ellicot  "'the  glasses  etc.,  of  the 
long  Galilean  telescope "  which  he  had  pre 
sented  to  the  College.  In  a  letter  to  his  wife, 
near  the  close  of  the  year,  he  speaks  of  sending 
over  some  new  kind  of  oats,  free  from  husks. 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FHANKL1N.  287 

and  some  Swiss  barley,  six  rows  to  an  ear,  which 
he  wished  distributed  among  his  friends. 

He  also  endeavored  to  promote  the  culture  of 
silk  iii  America.  In  letters  to  Lord  Kames,  not 
long  after,  he  gave  some  advice  about  smoky 
chimneys,  and  expressed  his  preference  of  oxen 
to  horses  for  farming  purposes.  He  sent  over  to 
America  "  some  of  the  true  rhubarb  seed,"  some 
"  green  dry  peas,  for  making  pea-soup,"  "  some 
Chinese  caravances,  with  Father  Narasette's  ac- 
cou<*t  of  the  universal  use  of  a  cheese  made  of 
them  in  China,  "  which,"  he  added,  "  so  excited 
my  curiosity,  that  I  caused  inquiry  to  be  made 
of  Mr.  Flint,  who  lived  many  years  there,  in 
what  manner  the  cheese  was  made.  I  have 
since  learned,  that  some  runnings  of  salt  (I  sup 
pose  runnet)  is  put  into  water,  when  the  meal  is 
in  it,  to  turn  it  to  curds."  During  a  visit  he 
made  to  Paris,  he  took  particular  notice  of  the 
construction  of  the  houses,  with  reference  to 
security  from  fire. 

"  We  scarcely  ever  hear  of  fire  in  Paris,"  he  says.  "  The 
roofs  are  slate  or  tile,  the  walls  are  stone,  the  walls  gener 
ally  lined  with  stucco  or  plaster,  instead  of  wainscot,  the 
floors  of  stucco,  or  of  six  square  tiles  painted  brown,  or  of 
Sag  stone,  or  of  marble ;  if  any  floors  were  wood,  it  was  of 
oak  wood,  which  is  not  so  imflamm*  ;le  as  pine.  Carpets 
prevent  the  coldness  of  stone  or  brick  floors  offending  the 
feet  in  winter,  and  the  noise  of  treading  on  such  floors  over 
head,  is  less  inconvenient  than  on  boards.  The  stairs,  too, 
at  Paris,  are  either  stone  or  brick,  with  only  a  wooden  edge 
or  corner  for  the  step ;  so  that  on  the  whole,  though  the 
-Parisians  commonly  burn  wood  in  their  chimneys,  a  more 


288          LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  FBANEXIN. 

dangerous  kind  of  fuel  than  that  used  here,  yet  their  houses 
escape  extremely  well,  as  there  is  little  in  a  room  that  can 
be  consumed  by  fire  except  the  furniture;  whereas  in  Lon 
don,  perhaps  scarcely  a  year  passes  in  which  half  a  million 
of  property  and  many  lives  are  not  lost  by  this  destructive 
element." 

He  also  made  inquiries  about  covering  houses 
with  copper,  and  gave  a  description  of  the 
method,  in  a  letter  to  a  friend. 

In  a  letter  to  John  Bartram,  a  noted  botanist, 
urging  him  to  put  his  observations  of  nature  into 
a  book,  Franklin  showed  the  very  practical  char 
acter  of  his  mind : 

"Many  people,  are  fond  of  accounts  of  old  buildings 
and  monuments;  but  there  is  a  number  who  would  be 
much  better  pleased  with  such  accounts  as  you  could  af 
ford  them.  And,  for  one,  I  confess,  that  if  I  could  find  in 
any  Italian  travels  a  receipt  for  making  Parmesan  cheese, 
it  would  give  me  more  satisfaction  than  a  transcript  of 
any  inscription  from  any  old  stone  whatever." 

A  little  more  sentiment  in  his  nature  need 
not,  we  think,  have  made  him  less  useful  to 
mankind. 

In  the  letter  to  his  wife,  just  above  referred 
to,  he  speaks  thus  of  himself : 

"  For  my  own  part,  I  think  of  late  that  my  constitution 
rather  mends.  I  have  had  but  one  touch  of  the  gout,  and 

that  a  light  one,  since  I  left  you I  feel  stronger 

and  more  active.  Yet  I  would  not  have  you  think  that  I 
fancy  I  shall  grow  young  again.  I  know  that  men  of  my 
bulk  often  fail  suddenly.  I  know  that,  according  to  the 
course  of  nature,  I  cannot  at  most  continue  much  longer, 
and  that  the  lining  even  of  another  day  is  uncertain.  I 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  289 

therefore  form  no  schemes,  but  such  as  are  of  immediate 
execution,  indulging  myself  in  no  future  prospect  except 
one,  that  of  returning  to  Philadelphia,  there  to  spend  th« 
evening  of  my  life  with  my  friends  and  family." 

And  yet  this  old  man  of  sixty-three,  writing 
about  his  looking  for  death  daily,  lived  more 
than  twenty  years  after  this,  years  filled  with 
useful  and  brilliant  deeds. 

That  he  was  not  always  in  quite  so  serious  a 
mood,  appears  from  the  lively  correspondence 
that  passed  between  him  and  his  friend  Miss 
Stevenson  about  her  intended  marriage.  She 
had  written  to  him  : 

"  I  met  with  a  very  sensible  physician  yesterday,  who 
prescribes  abstinence  for  the  cure  of  consumptions.  He 
must  be  clever,  because  he  thinks  as  we  do.  I  would  not 
have  you  or  mother  surprised,  if  I  should  run  off  with  this 
young  man.  To  be  sure  it  would  be  an  imprudent  step,  at 
the  discreet  age  of  thirty ;  but  there  is  no  saying  what  ou<» 
should  do,  if  solicited  by  a  young  man  of  an  insinuating  ad 
dress  and  good  person,  though  he  may  be  too  young  for  one, 
and  not  yet  established  in  his  profession.  He  engaged  me 
so  deeply  in  conversation,  and  I  was  so  much  pleased  with 
him,  that  I  thought  it  necessary  to  give  you  warning,  though 
I  assure  you  he  has  made  no  proposal. 

"Howl  rattle!  This  flight  must  be  owing  to  this  new 
acquaintance,  or  to  the  joy  of  hearing  my  old  one  is  returned 
to  this  country  *.  I  know  which  I  attribute  it  to,  for  I  can 
tell  when  my  spirits  were  enlivened ;  but  you  may  think  as 
YOU  please,  if  you  will  believe  me  to  be,  dear  sir, 
Toar  truly  affectionate 

"  HUMBLE 

•  From  a  trip  to  Prance. 


290  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   ]FEANKLIN. 

To  which,  after  speaking  of  other  things,  he 
replied : 

"However,  there  are  certain  circumstances  in  life,  some 
times,  where  it  is  perhaps  not  best  to  hearken  to  reason. 
For  instance ;  possibly,  if  the  truth  were  known,  I  have  rea 
son  to  be  jealous  of  this  same  insinuating,  handsome  young 
physician;  but,  as  it  natters  more  my  vanity,  and  therefore 
gives  me  more  pleasure,  to  suppose  you  were  in  spirits  on 
account  of  my  safe  return,  I  shall  turn  a  deaf  ear  to  reason 
in  this  case,  as  I  have  done  with  success  in  twenty  others. 
But  I  am  sure  you  will  always  give  me  reason  enough  to 
continue  ever, 

"YOUR  AFFECTIONATE  FKIEND." 

It  was  previous  to  this,  that  he  wrote  to  this 
lady  about  a  "  reformed  alphabet,"  on  the  prin 
ciple  of  phonography;  and  it  was  doubtless 
when  her  mind  was  yet  unoccupied  by  insinuat 
ing  physicians,  that  she  made  inquiries  about  the 
construction  of  chimneys,  under  an  unknown 
date  ;  to  which  the  doctor  replied  in  a  practical 
and  complimentary  way.  After  giving  his  opin 
ion  about  the  draft  of  chimneys,  which,  it  seems, 
had  been  a  subject  of  discussion,  he  adds : 

"So  you  see  I  think  you  had  the  best  of  the  argument; 
and,  as  you,  notwithstanding,  gave  it  up  in  complaisance  to 
the  company,  I  think  you  had  also  the  best  of  the  dispute. 
There  are  few,  though  convinced,  that  know  how  to  give 
up  even  an  error  they  have  once  been  engaged  in  maintain 
ing;  there  is,  therefore,  the  more  merit  in  dropping  a  contest 
where  one  thinks  one's  self  right ,  *t  is,  at  least,  respectful 
to  those  we  converse  with.  And,  indeed,  all  our  knowledge 
is  so  imperfect,  and  we  are,  from  a  thousand  causes  so  per 
petually  subject  to  mistake  and  error,  that  positiveness  can 
scarce  ever  become  even  the  most  knowing;  and  modesty  in 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  291 

advancing  any  opinion,  however  plain  and  true  we  may  sup 
pose  it,  is  always  decent,  and  generally  more  likely  to  pro 
cure  assent.  Pope's  rule,  — 

'  To  speak,  though  sure,  with  seeming  diffidence,' 

is,  therefore,  a  good  one ;  and,  if  I  had  ever  seen  in  your  con 
versation  the  least  deviation  from  it,  I  should  earnestly  rec 
ommend  it  to  your  observation." 

When,  at  a  later  date,  a  "  proposal "  had  been 
made,  and  she  wrote  to  ask  the  Doctor's  opinion 
about  her  accepting  it,  he  replied  that  he  saw 
no  objection  to  it,  and  added  gracefully  : 

"  I  see  your  delicacy  and  your  humility,  too;  for  you  fancy 
that  if  you  do  not  prove  a  great  fortune,  you  will  not  be 
loved ;  but  I  am  sure,  were  I  in  his  situation  in  every  re 
spect,  knowing  you  so  well  as  I  do,  and  esteeming  you  so 
highly,  I  should  think  you  a  fortune  sufficient  for  me  with 
out  a  shilling." 

The  good  Doctor,  in  the  present  case,  was  sure 
that  his  approval  of  the  marriage  would  entirely 
coincide  with  the  lady's  wishes,  and  he  was 
ready  to  give  it ;  but  his  opinion  of  advice  in 
general  may  be  learned  from  what  he  said  to  a 
person  who  wrote  to  him  about  a  young  man 
under  his  charge : 

"  As  to  my  reproving  and  advising  him,  which  you  desire, 

he  has  not  hitherto  appeared  to  need  it,  which  is  lucky,  as  I 

am  not  fond  of  giving  advice,  having  seldom  seen  it  taken. 

•     '    •  An  Italian  poet,  in  his  account  of  a  voyage  to  the 

moon,  tells  us  that 

'  All  things  lost  on  earth  are  treasured  there.' 

On  which  somebody  observed,  there  must  then  be  in  th« 
moon  a  gr*i/t  deal  of  good  advice  " 


292  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

Compelled  to  Remain  in  England.  —  Agent  of 
Four  Colonies. — American  Resistance. — Non- 
Importation  of  British  Groods.  —  Testimonial 
from  Boston.  —  Writes  to  his  Wife.  —  About 
Grandmothers.  —  Letter  to  Mrs.  Mecom.  — 
Rumored  Removal  from  the  Post-office.  —  His 
Rule  in  Regard  to  Office. —  Tour  into  Wales, 
Ireland,  Scotland,  and  North  of  England.  — 
Dr.  Priestly.  — Dr.  Darwin.  —  Letter  to  "  Doc 
tor  Franklin,  America."—  Warmly  Received  in 
Ireland.  —  Honored  ly  ilie  Irish  Parliament. 
—  Meets  Lord  Hillsboroiiyh.  —  Invited  to  his 
Ovuntry  Mansion.  —  Treated  with  "  Great 
Cordiality."  —  Franklin  Not  Blinded. — Letter 
to  his  Son.  —  Hillslorough 's  Subsequent  Rude 
ness.  — In  Scotland.  —  Visits  Lord  Kames. — 
David  Hume.  —  Other  Celebrities.  —  Visits  the 
Bishop  of  Asaph.  —  An  Interesting  Family.  — 
Birthday  of  Franklin's  Grandson.  —  Letters 
to  Mrs.  Hewson.  —  How  to  Bring  up  Children. 
—  Contrasts  New  England  with  Scotland  and 
Ireland.  —  Letter  to  his  Cousin  Samuel.  — 
Wives  "  Out  of  a  Bunch."  —  Letter  to  his 
Wife.  —  Meets  Mr.  Bache.  —  Advice  About 
Public  Offices.  —  LetUr  to  his  Wife.  —  Arri 
val  of  the  iSjuirrel*. —  Also  of  Peaches*  An? 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  293 

pleS)  Buckwheat,  and  Indian  Meal. — "  A  Crreat 
Refreshment" — Assists  his  Son-in-Law  with 
£200.  —  Letter  to  his  Daughter.  —  Advises  her 
to  "Learn  Accounts"  —  Fate  of  one  of  the 
Squirrels.  —  Epitaph  to  "  Poor  Mungo  "  — 
Letter  to  Miss  Shipley. 

INSTEAD  of  returning  to  America,  as  he  had 
hoped,  Dr.  Franklin  found  the  necessity  for  a 
longer  stay  in  England  becoming  every  day 
more  urgent.  Besides  the  agency  of  his  own 
province,  and  the  general  interests  of  the  colo 
nies,  he  was  agent  of  Georgia,  and  afterwards 
of  New  Jersey  and  Massachusetts. 

The  people  of  the  colonies  had  determined 
not  to  submit  to  the  tax  imposed  on  imported 
articles,  as  a  means  of  compelling  from  Parlia 
ment  an  acknowledgment  of  their  rights.  Their 
resistance  was  peaceful,  not  to  import  and  not  to 
use  British  manufactures.  In  July,  1769,  in 
reply  to  a  communication  from  Philadelphia 
merchants,  containing  a  copy  of  their  agreement 
against  importation,  he  said  : 

"By  persisting  steadily  in  the  measures  you  have  so  iaud- 
ably  entered  into,  I  hope  you  will,  if  backed  by  the  general 
honest  resolution  of  the  people  to  buy  British  goods  of  no 
others,  but  to  manufacture  for  themselves,  or  use  colony 
manufactures  only,  be  the  means,  under  God,  of  recovering 
and  establishing  the  freedom  of  our  country  entire,  and  of 
handing  it  down  complete  to  posterity." 

In  October,  of  the  same  year,  he  received 
from  Boston  a  gratifying  testimonial  of  the  es- 


294  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN. 

timation  in  which  he  was  there  held,  contained 
in  a  letter  from  a  committee  of  the  town,  bearing 
the  signatures  of  Thomas  Gushing,  Samuel  Ad 
ams,  John  Adams,  James  Otis,  Joseph  Warren, 
Richard  Dana,  Joshua  Henshaw,  Joseph  Jack 
son  and  Benjamin  Kent. 

"The  town  of  Boston,"  they  say,  "are  fully  sensible  of 
your  extensive  influence,  and,  from  your  past  conduct,  have 
the  strongest  reason  to  assure  themselves  that  you  will  exert 
your  great  abilities  in  promoting  the  united  interests  of 
Great  Britain  and  her  colonies. 

"The  happiness  of  British  subjects  is  founded  on  the 
freedom  of  the  Constitution ;  and,  in  behalf  of  the  town  of 
Boston,  we  beg  you  would  always,  and  particularly  at  this 
time,  defend  this  injured  town  against  the  injurious  calum 
nies  of  those  who  wish  the  total  abolition  of  liberty,  both  in 
Great  Britain  and  America." 

A  rumor  having  reached  his  sister,  Mrs.  Me- 
com,  that,  for  the  free  expression  of  his  opinions 
in  letters  to  America,  he  was  to  be  punished  by 
being  removed  from'  the  Post-office,  he  wrote  to 
her  that  the  abuse  of  his  enemies  should  not 
provoke  him  to  resign :  "If  they  would  have 
my  office,  they  must  take  it."  He  added,  that 
no  threat  could  make  the  least  change  in  his  po 
litical  conduct. 

"  My  rule,  in  which  I  have  always  found  satisfaction, 
is  never  to  turn  aside  in  public  affairs,  through  views  of 
private  interest;  but  to  go  straight  forward  in  doing  what 
appears  to  me  right  at  the  time,  leaving  the  consequences 
with  Providence.  What  in  my  younger  days  enabled  me 
aiore  easily  to  walk  upright  was,  that  I  had  a  trade,  and 


LIFE  OF  BEKJAMIN   FKANKLIN.  295 

that  I  knew  I  could  live  upon  little;  and  thence  (never  having 
nad  views  of  making  a  fortune),  I  was  free  from  avarice,  and 
contented  with  the  plentiful  supplies  my  business  afforded 
me.  And  now  it  is  still  more  easy  for  me  to  preserve  my 
freedom  and  integrity,  when  I  consider  that  I  am  almost  at 
the  end  of  my  journey,  and  therefore  need  less  t£  complete 
the  expense  of  it;  and  tLat  tfhat  I  now  possess,  through  the 
blessing  of  God,  with  tolerable  economy,  will  be  sufficient  for 
me  (great  misfortunes  excepted),  though  I  should  add  noth 
ing  more  to  it  by  any  office  or  employment  whatsoever." 

In  1771,  Dr.  Franklin  visited  several  of  his 
friends  in  different  parts  of  England.  He  was 
intimate  with  Dr.  Priestley  and  Dr.  Erasmus 
Darwin,  and  at  their  homes  discussed  subjects 
of  science  and  assisted  them  in  philosophical 
experiments.  With  the  former  he  found  also 
political  sympathy  ;  wvth  the  latter  he  had  cor 
responded  before  coming  to  England.  A  letter 
which  Dr.  Darwin  sent  to  Franklin,  compliment 
ing  him  on  his  discoveries,  was  addressed  "Dr. 
Franklin,  America,"  and  he  said  he  felt  inclined 
to  make  a  still  more  flattering  superscription, 
"  Dr.  Eranvdin,  the  WorM."  An  answer  which 
came  bo  the  writer  proved  that  the  letter  actu 
ally  reached  its  destination. 

The  tour  w  \s  extended  through  Wales,  Ire- 
ia^d,  Scotland  and  the  north  of  England,  greatly 
to  the  improvement  of  his  health.  He  was  able 
to  spend  several  months  in  this  agreeable  way, 
as  no  business  of  importance  relating  to  Ameri 
can  affairs  then  occupied  the  attention  of  Par 
liament. 

In  Ireland,  w^ere  he  spent  seven  we^ks,  ^e 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

was  "  entertained  by  both  parties,  courtiers  and 
patriots."  He  found  "  the  principal  patriots 
there  disposed  to  be  friends  of  America." 

"  There  are,"  he  adds,  "  many  brave  spirits  among  them. 
The  gentry  are  a  very  sensible,  polite,  and  friendly  people. 
Their  Parliament  makes  a  most  respectable  figure,  with  a 
number  of  very  good  speakers  in  both  parties,  and  able  men 
of  business." 

A  special  mark  of  favor  was  shown  him  by 
the  House,  when  he  visited  it  one  day.  He  was 
making  his  way  to  the  gallery, 

"  when  the  Speaker  stood  up,  and  acquainted  the  Houst 
that  he  understood  there  was  in  town  an  American  gentle 
man,  of  (as  he  was  pleased  to  say)  distinguished  character 
ard  merit,  5  member  or  delegate  of  some  of  the  Parliaments 
tfc  that  country,  who  was  desirous  of  being  present  at  the 
Jebates  of  the  House; " 

And  he  proposed  that  he  be  admitted  to  a 
seat  among  the  members,  as  a  member  of  an 
American  Parliament.  The  House  answered 
with  an  unanimous  aye, 

"  when  two  members  came  out  to  me,"  says  Franklin, 
"led  me  in  between  them,  and  placed  me  honorably  and 
commodiously." 

At  Dublin,  meeting  Lord  Hillsborough,  an 
Irish  nobleman,  who  then  had  charge  of  Ameri 
can  affairs,  Franklin  was  very  politely  urged  to 
visit  him  at  his  country  residence.  He  was  en 
tertained  there  four  days,  "with  great  civility," 
which  was  more  remarkable  considering  the 
bluff  and  even  insolent  manner  in  which  that 
icbleman  had  treated  IMS  guest  some 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  297 

before  in  London,  when  he  called  him  "  a  fac 
tious,  mischievous  fellow."  But  now  for  some 
reason,  he  was  all  smiles.  That  he  might  make 
Franklin's  stay  more  agreeable,  "  he  put  his  eld 
est  son,  Lord  Killwarling,  into  his  phaeton  with 
me,  to  drive  me  a  round  of  forty  miles,  that  I 
might  see  the  country,  the  seats,  and  manufact 
ures,  covering  me  with  his  own  great  coat,  lest  I 
should  take  cold."  The  shrewd  American  un 
derstood  this  to  be  more  policy  than  friendship ; 
for  he  adds : 

"If  he  takes  no  steps  towards  withdrawing  the  troops,  re 
pealing  the  duties,  restoring  the  Castle  [a  fortification  in 
Boston  Harbor],  or  recalling  the  offensive  instructions  [to 
English  officials  in  America],  I  shall  think  all  the  plausible 
behavior  I  have  described  is  meant  only,  by  patting  and 
stroking  the  horse,  to  make  him  more  patient,  while  the 
reins  are  drawn  tighter,  and  the  spurs  set  deeper  in  his 
sides." 

That  he  was  not  mistaken  in  his  estimate  of 
his  Lordship,  appears  from  what  happened  after 
wards.  Writing  to  his  son,  some  months  later 
he  says : 

"  As  Lord  Hillsborough  in  fact  got  nothing  out  of  me,  I 
should  rather  suppose  he  threw  me  away  as  an  orange  that 
would  yield  no  juice,  and  therefore  not  worth  more  squeez 
ing.  When  I  had  been  a  little  while  returned  to  London,  I 
waited  on  him  to  thank  him  for  his  civilities  in  Ireland,  and 
to  discourse  with  him  on  a  Georgip,  affair.  The  porter  told 
me  he  was  not  at  home.  I  left  my  card,  went  another  time, 
and  received  the  same  answer,  though  I  knew  he  was  at 
home,  a  friend  of  mine  being  with  him.  After  intermix 


298  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

sions  of  a  week  each,  I  made  two  more  visits,  and  received 
the  same  answer.  The  last  time  was  on  a  levee  day,  when 
f.  number  of  carriages  were  at  his  door.  My  coachman 
driving  up,  alighted,  and  was  opening  the  coach  door,  when 
the  porter,  seeing  me,  came  out,  and  surlily  chid  the  coach 
man  for  opening  the  door  before  he  had  inquired  whether 
my  Lord  was  at  home ;  and  then  turning  to  me,  said :  '  My 
Lord  is  not  at  home.'  I  have  never  since  been  nigh  him, 
and  we  have  only  abused  one  another  at  a  distance.  *  *  * 
"  I  know  him  to  be  as  double  and  deceitful  as  any  man  I 
ever  met  with.  But  we  have  done  with  him,  I  hope  for 
ever." 

In  Scotland  he  spent  four  delightful  weeks 

He  was  "five  days,"  he  writes  home,  "with  Lord  Kames 
at  his  seat,  Blair  Drummond,  near  Stirling,  two  or  three 
days  at  Glasgow,  two  days  at  Carron  Iron  Works,  and  the 
rest  of  the  month  in  and  about  Edinburgh,  lodging  at  David 
Hume's,  who  entertained  me,  with  the  greatest  kindness  and 
hospitality,  as  did  Lord  Kames  and  his  lady." 

He  met  other  acquaintances,  Sir  Alexander 
Dick  and  lady,  Mr.  Me  Gowan,  Drs.  Robertson, 
Cullen,  Black,  Ferguson,  Russel,  and  others. 

During  this  year,  he  also  made  two  visits  to 
Dr.  Shipley,  the  Bishop  of  St.  Asaph,  who,  both 
in  private  and  in  Parliament,  was  an  earnest 
and  consistent  friend  of  America,  a  man  of 
liberal  sentiments  and  genial  disposition.  Writ 
ing  home,  he  says : 

"I  spent  three  weeks  in  Hampshire,  at  my  friend  the 
Bishop's.  The  Bishop's  lady  knows  what  children  and 
grandchildren  I  have  and  their  ages ;  so,  when  1  was  to  come 
away  on  Monday  the  12th,  in  the  morning,  she  insisted  or. 
my  staying  there  one  day  longer,  that  we  might  togethex 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  299 

keep  my  grandson's  birthday.  At  dinner,  among  other  nice 
things,  we  had  a  floating  island,  which  they  always  particu 
larly  have  on  the  birthdays  of  any  of  their  own  six  children, 
who  were  all  but  one  at  table,  where  there  was  also  a  clergy 
man's  widow,  now  above  one  hundred  years  old.  The  chief 
toast  of  the  day  was,  Master  Benjamin  Bache,  which  the 
venerable  old  lady  began  in  a  bumper  of  mountain.  The 
Bishop's  lady  politely  added,  '  and  that  he  may  be  as  good  a 
man  as  his  grandfather.'  I  said  I  hoped  he  would  be  much 
better.  The  Bishop,  still  more  complaisant  than  his  lady, 
said,  *  We  will  compound  the  matter,  and  be  contented  if  he 
should  not  prove  quite  so  good.'  " 

All  which  must  have  been  delightful  reading 
to  the  proud  mother,  and  no  less  fond  grand 
mother. 

Franklin  was  fond  of  children  ;  and  writing  to 
Mrs.  Hewson,  who,  as  Mary  Stevenson,  had  so 
submissively  followed  the  Doctor's  advice,  and 
was  now  the  happy  mother  of  a  son,  named  Wil 
liam  after  the  son  of  her  friend  the  philosopher, 
he  said ; 

"  Pray  let  him  have  everything  he  likes.  I  think  it  of 
great  consequence  while  the  features  of  the  countenance  are 
forming ;  it  gives  them  a  pleasant  air,  and,  that  being  once 
become  natural  and  fixed  by  habit,  the  face  is  ever  after  the 
handsomer  for  it,  and  on  that  much  of  a  person's  good  for 
tune  and  success  in  life  may  depend.  Had  I  been  crossed 
as  much  in  my  infant  likings  and  inclinations  as  you  know 
I  have  been  of  late  years,  I  should  have  been,  I  was  going  to 
say,  not  near  so  handsome ;  but  as  the  vanity  of  that  expres 
sion  would  offend  other  folks'  vanity,  I  change  it,  out  of  re 
gard  to  them,  and  say,  a  great  deal  more  homely." 

During  his  visit  to  Ireland  and  Scotland,  he 
was  led  to  contrast  those  countries  with  his  own. 


300          LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  FEANKLIN. 

"  A  small  part  of  the  society  are  landlords,  great  noble 
men,  and  gentlemen,  extremely  opulent,  living  in  the  high 
est  affluence  and  magnificence.  The  bulk  of  the  people  are 
tenants,  extremely  poor,  living  in  the  most  sordid  wretched 
ness,  in  dirty  hovels  of  mud  and  straw,  and  clothed  only  in 
rags. 

"I  thought  often  of  the  happiness  of  New  England, 
where  every  man  is  a  free  holder,  has  a  vote  in  public 
affairs,  lives  in  a  tidy,  warm  house,  has  plenty  of  good  food 
and  fuel,  with  whole  clothes  from  head  to  foot,  the  manu 
facture,  perhaps,  of  his  own  family.  Long  may  they  con 
tinue  in  this  situation." 

Writing,  after  his  return  to  London,  to  his 
cousin  Samuel,  who  had  four  daughters,  he 
said: 

"  I  hope  they  will  all  get  good  husbands.  •  •  *  I  knew 
a  wise  old  man,  who  used  to  advise  his  young  friends  to 
choose  wives  out  of  a  bunch ;  for  where  there  were  many 
daughters,  he  said,  they  improved  each  other,  and  from 
emulation  acquired  more  accomplishments,  knew  more, 
could  do  more,  and  were  not  spoiled  by  parental  fondness, 
as  single  children  often  are." 

In  a  letter  to  his  wife,  about  the  same  date,  he 
speaks  of  meeting  Mr.  Bache,  his  daughter's 
husband,  in  London,  and  of  being  much  pleased 
with  him.  He  advised  him  to  settle  down  in 
Philadelphia,  instead  of  seeking  an  office  from 
government ;  and,  writing  to  his  daughter,  he 
said: 

"  I  am  of  opinion  that  almost  any  profession  a  man  has 
been  educated  in  is  preferable  to  an  office  held  at  pleasure, 
as  rendering  him  more  independent,  more  a  free  man,  and 
less  subject  to  the  caprices  of  superior" 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  301 

He  informs  his  wife  that  "  the  squirrels  came 
safe  and  well.  •  •  •  A  hundred  thanks  are 
sent  you  for  them."  They  were  intended  for 
his  young  friends  at  the  Bishop  of  Asaph's,  whom 
he  had  taken  this  pleasant  way  of  gratifying. 
He  acknowledges  also  "  the  buckwheat  and 
Indian  meal,"  that  would  be  "  a  great  refresh 
ment  "  to  him  in  the  winter ;  the  "  dried 
peaches  "  also,  especially  those  dried  "  without 
their  skins ;  "  the  apples  also,  "  the  best  he  ever 
had ;  "  but  "  the  sturgeon  did  not  come,"  which 
was  "not  so  material."  "  Since,"  he  says,  "I 
cannot  be  in  America,  everything  that  comes 
from  there  comforts  me  a  little,  as  being  some 
thing  like  home."  To  this  he  adds,  that  he 
had  given  his  son-in-law  two  hundred  pounds, 
"to  add  something  to  his  cargo,"  for  setting  up 
trade  in  Philadelphia.  In  a  letter  to  his  daugh 
ter,  the  next  day,  he  advised  her  to  learn  ac 
counts,  so  as  to  aid  her  husband,  and  to  practice 
industry  and  frugality ;  and  he  added  that,  till 
his  return,  she  need  be  at  no  expense  for  rent, 
"as  you  are  all  welcome  to  continue  with  your 
mother ;  and,  indeed,  it  seems  to  be  your  duty 
to  attend  her,  as  she  grows  infirm,  and  takes 
much  delight  in  your  company  and  the  child's." 
And,  lastly,  what  he  knew  would  go  home  to 
her  heart,  he  added  :  "  I  am  much  pleased  with 
the  account  I  receive  from  all  hands  of  your  dear 
little  boy." 

We  must  not.  close  this  chapter  without  re 
ferring  to  the  melancholy  fate  of  one  of 


302  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN. 

squirrels,  "  poor  Mungo."  Writing  to  Georgiana 
Shipley,  the  Doctor  says,  —  and  who  will  not 
sympathize  with  him  in  his  affliction? 

"  I  lament  with  you,  most  sincerely,  the  unfortunate  end 
of  poor  Mungo.  Few  squirrels  were  better  accomplished; 
for  he  had  had  a  good  education,  had  travelled  far,  and 
seen  much  of  the  world.  As  he  had  the  honor  of  being, 
for  his  virtues,  your  favorite,  he  should  not  go,  like  common 
skuggs,  without  an  elegy  or  an  epitaph.  Let  us  give  him 
one  in  the  monumental  style  and  measure,  which  being 
neither  prose  nor  verse,  is  perhaps  the  properest  for  grief; 
since  to  me  common  language  would  look  as  if  we  were  not 
affected,  and  to  make  rhymes  would  seem  trifling  in  sorrow. 

EPITAPH 

ON  THE  Loss  rv  AH  AMERICAN  SQUIRREL,  WHO,  ESCAP 
ING  FBOM  &18  CAGE,  WA^   KILLED  BY  A  SHEPHERD-  a 


Alas! 
Happy  wert  thou,  hadst  thou  known 

Thy  own  felicity. 
Kemote  from  the  fierce  bald  eagle, 

Tyrant  of  thy  native  woods, 

Thou  hadst  nought  to  fear  from  his  piercing  talons, 
Nor  from  the  murdering  gun 
Of  the  thoughtless  sportsman. 

Safe  in  thy  wired  castle, 

Grimalkin  never  could  annoy  thee. 

Daily  wert  thou  fed  with  the  choicest  viands, 

By  the  fair  hands  of  an  indulgent  mistress; 

But,  discontented, 

Thou  wouldst  have  more  freedom. 

Too  soon,  alas!  didst  thou  obtain  it; 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  303 

And,  wandering, 
Thou  art  fallen  by  the  fangs  of  wanton,  cruel  EANGEB! 

Learn  hence, 

Ye  who  blindly  seek  more  liberty, 

Whether  subjects,  sons,  squirrels  or  daughters, 

That  apparent  restraint  may  be  real  protection, 

Yielding  peace  and  plenty 

With  security. 

44  You  see,  my  dear  miss,  how  much  more  decent  and 
proper  this  broken  style  is,  than  if  we  were  to  say,  by  way 
of  epitaph: 

Here  Skugg 
Lies  snug 
As  a  bug 
In  a  rug. 

And  yet,  perhaps,  there  are  people  in  the  world  of  so  little 
feeling,  as  to  think  that  this  would  be  a  good-enough  epitaph 
for  poor  M?.uigo. 

"  If  you  wish  it,  I  shall  procure  another  to  succeed  him; 
but  perhaps  you  will  now  choose  some  other  amusement." 


304  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 


CHAPTER   XXXII. 

Letter  to  his  Son.  —  Homesick.  —  Anticipating 
Death.  —  Detained  by  his  Agencies.  —  A  New 
British  Minister.  —  Franklin's  Situation.  —  A 
Committee  of  the  Royal  Society  to  Examine 
G-overnment  Powder  Works. — Pointed  or  Blunt 
Lightning  Conductors?  —  Dr.  Franklin's  Re 
port. —  Mr.  Wilson  Not  Convinced.  —  G-eorge 
III.  Alarmed.  —  Changes  his  Lightning-Rods. 
—  Dr.  Franklin  Keeps  Silence.  —  Epigram  on 
G-eorge  III.  —  Effect  of  Oil  on  Waves. — Letter 
on  the  Subject.  —  Experiments.  —  Spots  on  the 
Sun.  —  Volcanic  Eruptions. — Flies  in  Madeira 
Wine.  —  On  Embalming  Drowned  Persons.  — 
New  Carriage-  Wheel.  —  Stove  for  Utilizing 
Coal  Smoke.  —  On  Fresh  Air.  —  Other  Obser 
vations.  —  Prepares  an  Abridgment  of  the  Book 
of  Common  Prayer. — Lord  Mansfield. 

DE.  FEANKLIN  had  now  been  absent  from 
home  more  than  eight  years.  Writing  to  his 
son,  Jan.  30, 1772,  he  says : 

"I  have,  of  late,  great  debates  with  myself,  whether  or 
not  I  shall  continue  here  any  longer.  I  grow  homesick,  and 
being  now  in  my  sixty-seventh  year,  I  begin  to  apprehend 
some  infirmity  of  age  may  attack  me,  and  make  my  return 
impracticable.  I  have  also  important  affairs  to  settle  before 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  305 

my  death,  a  period  I  ought  to  think  cannot  now  be  far  dis 
tant.  I  see  here  no  disposition  in  Parliament  to  meddle 
farther  in  colony  affairs  for  the  present,  either  to  lay  more 
duties  or  to  repeal  any.  •  •  •  I  have,  indeed,  so  many 
good  kind  friends  here,  that  I  could  spend  the  remainder  of 
my  life  among  them  with  great  pleasure,  if  it  were  not  for 
my  American  connexions,  and  the  indelible  affection  I  retain 
for  that  dear  country,  from  which  I  have  so  long  been  in  a 
state  of  exile.  My  love  to  Betsy." 

But  circumstances  occurring  from  time  to 
time,  relating  to  his  various  agencies,  and  the 
hope  of  a  favorable  change  in  the  spirit  of  the 
Parliament,  still  kept  him  at  his  post.  There 
was  a  prospect,  too,  of  a  change  of  ministry ; 
that  Hillsborough  would  be  superseded  by  Lord 
Dartmouth.  Writing  to  his  son  in  August,  he 
says  of  his  situation,  that  "nothing  could  be 
more  agreeable,"  especially  as  he  hoped  for 
"  less  emb.  rrassment  from  the  new  minister." 

4 'My  company  is  so  much  desired,  that  I  seldom  dine  at 
home  in  winter,  and  could  spend  the  whole  summer  in  the 
country-houses  of  inviting  friends,  if  I  chose  it.  Learned 
ind  ingenious  foreigners,  that  come  to  England,  almost  all 
•nake  a  point  of  visiting  me ;  for  my  reputation  is  still  higher 
vbroad  than  here.  Several  of  the  foreign  ambassadors  have 

ssiduously  cultivated  my  acquaintance,  treating  me  as  one 

f  their  corps.     '    '    ' 

" These  are  nattering  circumstances;  but  a  violent  longing 
for  home  seizes  me,  which  I  can  no  otherwise  subdue  but  by 
promising  myself  a  return  next  spring  or  next  fall." 

About  this  time,  he  was  appointed  one  of  a 
Committee  of  the  Royal  Society,  who  were  to 
examine  some  government  powder-works,  iu  oi> 


306  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FKANKLDST. 

der  to  settle  the  question,  whether  pointed  or 
blunt  conductors  would  afford  the  best  protec 
tion.  He  drew  up  a  Report  in  favor  of  pointed 
rods,  to  which  all  the  Committee  agreed,  except 
a  Mr.  Wilson.  He  insisted  that  points,  by  at 
tracting  the  lightning,  would  prove  dangerous. 
The  doctor  had  only  to  reply,  that  the  clouds 
needed  to  be  disarmed  of  their  electricity,  and 
quietly  and  gradually ;  which  he  proved,  by  a 
series  of  new  experiments,  could  not  be  done  by 
rods  with  blunt  tops.  Mr.  Wilson  was  not  or 
would  not  be  convinced,  and  a  hot  controversy 
ensued,  between  the  partisans  of  the  two  sorts  of 
rods,  in  which,  however,  the  doctor  took  no  part. 
The  stupid  king  was  made  to  believe  that  his 
precious  life  was  in  danger  from  the  American 
conductor  that  had  been  put  up  at  his  palace, 
and  had  it  changed  for  one  of  Wilson's  pattern. 
Dr.  Franklin  knew  that  he  was  right,  in  spite  of 
Mr.  Wilson  and  George  III.,  and  kept  silent. 

"  I  have  never,"  lie  said,  "  entered  into  any  controversy 
in  defence  of  my  philosophical  opinions;  I  leave  them  to 
take  their  chance  in  the  world.  If  they  are  right,  truth  and 
experience  will  support  them ;  if  wrong,  they  ought  to  be  re 
futed  and  rejected.  Disputes  are  apt  to  sour  one's  temper, 
disturb  one's  quiet.  I  have  no  private  interest  in  the  recep 
tion  of  my  inventions  by  the  world,  having  never  made,  nor 
proposed  to  make,  the  least  profit  by  any  of  them.  The 
king's  changing  his  pointed  conductors  for  blunt  ones  is, 
therefore,  a  matter  of  small  importance  to  me.  If  I  had  a 
wish  about  it,  it  would  be,  that  he  had  rejected  them  alto 
gether  as  ineffectual.  For  it  was  only  since  he  thought  him- 
lelf  and  family  sa* e  from  the  thunder  of  Heaven,  that  be 


LIFE   (Xd1  BENJAMUN    FJRANKjLJjN .  <5l)i 

dared  to  use  his  own  thunder  in  destroying  his  innocen 
subjects." 

The  laugh  was  soon  turned  upon  the  oppo- 
aents  of  Franklin's  rods,  the  "  great  George  " 
himself  not  being  spared  in  an  epigram  published 
at  the  time : 

"  While  you,  great  GEORGE,  for  safety  hunt, 
And  sharp  conductors  change  for  blunt, 

The  empire's  out  of  joint. 
Franklin  a  wiser  course  pursues, 
And  all  your  thunder  fearless  views, 

By  sticking  to  thepomi." 

Franklin  also  made  experiments  showing  the 
effect  of  oil  in  stilling  waves.  In  a  letter,  dated 
November  7th,  1773,  he  says : 

"  I  had,  when  a  youth,  read  and  smiled  at  Pliny's  account 
of  a  practice  among  the  seamen  of  his  time,  to  still  the 
waves  in  a  storm  by  pouring  oil  into  the  sea.  •  •  * 

"  In  1757,  being  at  sea  in  a  fleet  of  ninety-six  sail  bound 
against  Louisburg,  I  observed  the  wakes  of  two  of  the  ships 
to  be  remarkably  smooth,  while  all  the  others  were  ruffled 
by  the  wind,  which  blew  fresh.  Being  puzzled  with  the 
differing  appearance,  I  at  last  pointed  it  out  to  our  captain, 
and  asked  him  the  meaning  of  it.  '  The  cooks,'  says  he, 
'have,  I  suppose,  been  just  emptying  their  greasy  water 
through  the  scuppers,  which  has  greased  the  sides  of  those 
ships  a  little.'  •  •  •  Afterwards,  being  again  at  sea  in 
1762,  I  first  observed  the  wonderful  quietness  of  oil  on  agi 
tated  water,  in  the  swinging  glass  lamp  I  made  to  hang  up 
in  the  cabin.  •  •  •  An  old  sea-captain,  then  a  passenger 
with  me,  said  [it]  was  a  practice  of  the  Bermudians  [to  put 
oil  on  water  to  smooth  it]  when  they  would  strike  fish  which 
they  could  not  see,  if  the  surface  of  the  water  was  ruffled 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 


by  the  wind.  *  •  •  The  same  gentleman  told  me  he  had 
heard  it  was  a  practice  with  the  fishermen  of  Lisbon  when 
about  to  return  into  the  river,  if  they  saw  before  them  too 
great  a  surf  upon  the  bar,  to  empty  a  bottle  or  two  of  oil  into 
the  sea,  which  would  suppress  the  breakers,  and  allow  them 
to  pass  safely.  [By]  another  person,  who  had  often  been  in 
the  Mediterranean,  I  was  informed  that  the  divers  there, 
who,  when  under  water  in  their  business,  need  light,  which 
the  curling  of  the  surface  interrupts  by  the  refraction  of  so 
many  little  waves,  let  a  small  quantity  of  oil  now  and  then 
out  of  their  mouths,  which  rising  to  the  surface  smooths  it, 
and  permits  the  light  to  come  down  to  them.  •  *  • 

"At  length,  being  at  Glapham,  where  there  is  a  large 
pond,  which  I  observed  one  day  to  be  very  rough  with  the 
wind,  I  fetched  out  a  cruet  of  oil,  and  dropped  a  little  on  the 
water.  I  saw  it  spread  itself  with  surprising  swiftness  upon 
the  surface  ;  but  the  effect  of  smoothing  the  waves  was  not 
produced,  for  I  had  applied  it  first  on  the  leeward  side  of  the 
pond,  where  the  waves  were  largest,  and  the  wind  drove  my 
oil  back  upon  the  shore.  I  then  went  to  the  windward  side 
where  they  began  to  form;  and  there  the  oil,  though  not 
more  than  a  teaspoonful,  produced  an  instant  calm  over  a 
space  several  yards  square,  which  spread  amazingly  and  ex 
tended  itself  gradually  till  it  reached  the  lee  side,  making  all 
that  quarter  of  the  pond,  perhaps  half  an  acre,  as  smooth  as 
a  looking-glass. 

"  After  this,  I  contrived  to  take  with  me,  whenever  I  went 
into  the  country,  a  little  oil  in  the  upper  hollow  joint  of  my 
bamboo  cane,  with  which  I  might  repeat  the  experiment  as 
opportunity  should  offer,  and  I  found  it  constantly  to  sue 
ceed. 

"In  these  experiments,  one  circumstance  struck  me  with 
particular  surprise.  This  was  the  sudden,  wide,  and  forcible 
spreading  of  a  drop  of  oil  on  the  face  of  the  water.  It  seems 
as  ii  a  mutual  repulsion  between  its  particles  took  place  as 


LEFB  OF  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  309 

soon  as  it  touched  the  water,  and  a  repulsion  so  strong  as  to 
act  on  other  bodies  swimming  on  the  surface,  as  straw, 
»eaves,  chips,  etc.,  forcing  them  to  recede  every  way  from 
'he  drop,  as  from  a  centre,  leaving  a  large,  clear  space.  .  . 

"  A  gentleman  from  Khode  Island  told  me  it  had  been  re- 
jaarked,  that  the  harbor  of  Newport  was  ever  smooth,  while 
any  whaling  vessels  were  in  it ;  from  which  some  oil  might 
spread  over  the  surface  of  the  water.  •  •  •  • 

"  Now  I  imagine  that  the  wind,  blowing  over  water  thus 
covered  with  a  film  of  oil,  cannot  easily  catch  upon  it,  so  as 
to  raise  the  firs  and  wrinkles,  but  slides  over  it,  and  leaves 
it  as  smooth  as  it  finds  it.  It  moves  a  little  the  oil,  indeed 
which,  being  between  it  and  the  water,  serves  it  to  slide 
with,  and  prevents  friction,  as  oil  does  between  those  parts 
of  a  machine  that  would  otherwise  rub  hard  together. 
Hence  the  oil  dropped  on  the  windward  side  of  a  pond  pro 
ceeds  gradually  to  leeward,  as  may  be  seen  by  the  smooth 
ness  it  carries  with  it,  quite  to  the  opposite  side.  For  the 
wind,  being  thus  prevented  from  raising  the  first  wrinkles, 
that  I  call  the  elements  of  waves,  cannot  produce  waves, 
which  are  to  be  made  by  continually  acting  up  and  enlarging 
those  elements,  and  thus  the  whole  pond  is  calmed." 

He  also  wrote  observations  upon  the  sun's  spots, 
volcanic  eruptions,  and  "  the  prevailing  doctrines 
of  life  and  death."  Speaking  of  the  latter,  he 
says  that  flies,  drowned  in  a  bottle  of  Madeira 
wine  sent  to  him  from  Virginia,  came  to  life 
when  exposed  to  the  sun. 

"  They  commenced  by  some  convulsive  motions  of  the 
thighs,  and  at  length  they  raised  themselves  upon  their  legs, 
wiped  their  eyes  with  their  fore  feet,  beat  and  brushed  their 
wings  with  their  hind  feet,  and  soon  after  began  to  fly,  find 
ing  themselves  in  Old  England  without  knowing  how  they 
came  hither." 


310  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN. 

This  successful  resurrection  led  him  to  add : 

"  I  wish  it  were  possible  to  invent  a  method  of  embalming 
drowned  persons,  in  such  a  manner  that  they  may  be  recalled 
to  life  at  any  period,  however  distant ;  for,  having  a  very  ar 
dent  desire  to  see  and  observe  the  state  of  America  a  hun 
dred  years  hence,  I  should  prefer  to  any  ordinary  death,  the 
being  immersed  in  a  cask  of  Madeira  wine,  with  a  few 
friends,  till  that  time,  to  be  then  recalled  to  life  by  the  solar 
warmth  of  my  dear  country." 

In  another  letter  he  describes  a  newly-invented 
carriage-wheel,  the  felly  being  of  one  piece; 
and  a  stove,  which  he  had  completed,  for  turn 
ing  the  smoke  of  the  coal  into  flame.  In  another, 
on  the  effects  of  cold  air  on  diseases,  he  says  : 

"  Our  physicians  have  begun  to  discover  that  fresh  air  is 
good  for  people  in  the  small-pox  and  other  fevers.  I  hope  in 
time  they  will  find  out  that  it  does  no  harm  to  people  in 
health." 

"It  is  generally  allowed,"  he  writes  to  a  friend,  a  physi 
cian,  "that  taking  the  air  is  a  good  thing,  yet  what  caution 
against  air!  What  stopping  of  crevices  I  What  wrapping 
up  in  warm  clothes  1  What  stuffing  of  doors  and  windows ! 
^ven  in  the  midst  of  summer.  Many  London  families  go 
out  once  a  day  to  take  the  air ;  three  or  tour  persons  in  a 
coach,  one  perhaps  sick;  these  go  three  or  four  miles,  or  as 
many  turns  in  Hyde  Park,  with  the  glasses  both  up  close,  all 
breathing  over  and  over  again  the  same  air  they  brought  out 
of  town  with  them  in  the  coach,  with  the  least  change  pos 
sible,  and  rendered  worse  and  worse  every  moment.  And 
this  they  call  taking  the  air!  " 

To  these  he  added  observations  on  the  torpedo, 
and  the  magnetic  needle. 

He  also  tried  hl«  land  with  the  Book  of  Com- 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FBANEXIN.  311 

mon  Prayer,  preparing  an  abridgement,  which 
was  printed  in  London.  He  submitted  it  utc 
the  serious  consideration  of  the  prudent  and  dis 
passionate,  and  not  to  enthusiasts  and  bigots, 
being  convinced,"  he  said,  "in  our  own  breasts 
that  this  shortened  method  •  •  •  would 
further  religion,  remove  animosity,  and  occasion 
a  more  frequent  attendance  on  the  worship  of 
God." 

But  his  theological  experiments  did  not  suc 
ceed  so  well  as  his  philosophical  discoveries  and 
political  measures. 

During  this  year,  he  wrote  two  pieces  adapted 
to  the  times,  Rules  for  Reducing  a  Great  Empire} 
to  a  Small  One,  and  An  Edict  by  the  King  of 
Prussia.  By  a  happy  use  of  irony,  he  exposed, 
in  the  first,  the  measures  pursued  by  the  govern 
ment  toward  the  colonies,  and  in  the  latter,  he 
specially  held  up  to  ridicule  the  ill-advised  re 
strictions  that  had  been  put  on  American  trade 
and  manufactures.  This  piece  was  characterized 
by  Lord  Mansfield  as  "  very  able  and  very  art 
ful." 


312  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

Letters  of  Gov.  Hutchinson  and  Lieut.  Gov.  OU 
ver. —  What  Grew  Out  of  Them.  —  Trans 
mitted  by  Dr.  Franklin  to  Massachusetts.— 
Great  Indignation  in  America  and  England.— 
Dr.  Franklin  Violently  Assailed. —  Scene  in 
the  Privy  Council.  —  Wedderburne' s  Speech 
characterized  by  Lord  Campbell.  —  Franklin's 
Defense. —  Dr.  Bancroft. —  Letter  to  Mr.  Gush 
ing.— Dismissed  from  his  Office  as  Postmaster 
General  of  the  Colonies. —  Wishes  to  Return. — 
Death  of  Dr.  Hewson.  — Letter  to  His  Wife. — 
Her  Death.  —  Her  Character.  —  Continental 
Congress.  —  Letter  to  James  Bowdoin. — His 
Patriotic  Zeal.  —  Josiah  Quincy,  Jr.  —  A  New 
Parliament.  —  Lord  Chatham.  —  Dr.  Franklin 
Fears  the  Effect  of  a  Closer  Union.  —  Invited 
by  a  Lady  to  Play  Chess.  —  Sister  of  Lord 
Howe.  —  Her  Purpose.  —  Franklin  Denounced 
by  Lord  Sandwich.  —  Defended  by  Lord  Chat 
ham. —  Sails,  for  America.  —  Experiments  with 
the  Gulf  Stream. 

A  NE"W  complication  and  new  acrimony  were 
added  to  the  American  controversy  by  letters 
received  in  England  from  Gov.  Hutchinson  and 
Lieut.  Gov.  Oliver,  filled  with  gross  misrepre- 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

sentations  of  the  condition  of  affairs  in  New  Eng 
land,  and  making  offensive  suggestions  as  to  the 
policy  to  be  pursued  by  the  Government.  The 
whole  trouble,  said  these  partisans  of  the 
Crown,  was  caused  by  a  few  turbulent  spirits, 
and  a  military  force  could  easily  produce  the 
desired  quiet.  These  letters  having  been  placed 
in  Dr.  Franklin's  hands,  were  transmitted  by 
him  to  Thomas  Gushing,  Speaker  of  the  House, 
and  Chairman  of  the  Committee  of  Correspond 
ence  in  Massachusetts,  that  they  might  be 
shown  to  "  some  men  of  worth  "  in  the  province. 
A  feeling  of  peculiar  indignation  was  of  course 
aroused,  when  it  was  found  that  the  oppressions 
which  the  people  had  endured,  were  instigated 
or  encouraged  by  Americans,  their  own  neigh 
bors.  It  was  resolved,  by  a  large  majority  of 
the  House,  to  send  a  petition  to  the  King  for 
the  removal  of  these  obnoxious  officials. 

But  in  England  "  the  ministry  and  the  court 
iers  "  were  "  highly  enraged  against  "  Dr.  Frank 
lin  for  transmitting  the  letters,.  He  was  called 
an  "  incendiary,"  "and  the  papers  were  filled  with 
invectives  "  against  him.  Hints  were  even  given 
him,  "  that  there  were  some  thougnis  of  appie 
hending "  him,  and  sending  him  to  Newgate, 
and  he  was  informed,  that  the  Post-office  was 
to  be  taken  from  him.  The^  me  throwing  over- 
board  of  the  tea  in  Boston  Harbor,  in  December, 
had  u  increased  and  strengthened  the  torrent  of 
clamor  "  against  him.  On  January  29th,  1774, 
he  was  summoned  before  the  Privy  Council,  at 


#14  LIFE  OP  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN. 

Whitehall,  to  be  examined  with  reference  to  the 
petition  from  the  Assembly.  Public  expecta 
tion  was  wonderfully  roused.  Thirty-five  mem 
bers  of  the  Council  were  present,  and  besides, 
many  distinguished  persons,  among  them  Burke, 
Dr.  Priestly,  and  Jeremy  Bentham,  while  the 
adjoining  rooms  were  crowded  by  a  multitude, 
who  could  only  partially  hear.  Wedderburne, 
who  was  Solicitor  General  for  the  Crown,  used  the 
occasion  to  heap  abuse  upon  Dr.  Franklin  and  the 
colonies.  "  He  must,"  says  Lord  Campbell,  "  be 
severely  condemned  for  thus  pandering  to  the  low 
passions  of  his  countrymen,  instead  of  trying  to 
^lighten  them." 

"The  letters,"  said  he,  "could  not  have  come  to  Dr. 
Franklin  by  fair  means.  .  .  .  Nothing  will  acquit  him 
of  the  charge  of  obtaining  them  by  fraudulent  or  corrupt 
\ieans,  for  the  most  malignant  of  purposes ;  unless  he  stole 
them  from  the  person  who  stole  them.  This  argument  is 
irrefragable.  I  hope,  my  lords,  you  will  mark  and  brand 
the  man,  for  the  honor  of  this  country,  of  Europe,  and  of 
mankind.  ...  He  has  forfeited  all  the  respect  of  socie 
ties  and  of  men.  .  .  .  Men  will  watch  him  with  a  jeal 
ous  eye;  they  will  hide  their  papers  from  him,  and  lock  up 
there  escritoires.  He  will  henceforth  esteem  it  a  libel  to  be 
called  a,  man  of  letters;  homo  trium  liter  arum."  * 

All  this  bitter  personal  invective  was  uttered 
in  the  presence  of  Franklin,  "  who,"  says  Dr. 
Bancroft,  a  friend  of  Franklin,  "  was  dressed  in 
a  full  dress  suit  of  spotted  Manchester  velvet, 
and  stood  conspicuously  erect,  without  the  small - 

*  That  is  fur,  or  thief. 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  315 

est  movement  of  any  part  of  his  body,"  and 
with  a  "  placid,  tranquil  expression  c  counte 
nance,"  throughout  the  Solicitor  V  abusive 
speech. 

"  The  favorite  part  of  his  discourse,"  says  Frakjcim  himself , 
in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Gushing,  "was  Bevelled  at  your  agent,  who 
stood  there  the  butt  of  his  invective  ribaldry  for  near  an 
hour,  not  a  single  Lord  adverting  to  the  impropriety  and  in 
decency  of  treating  a  public  messenger  in  so  ignominous  a 
manner,  who  was  present  only  as  the  person  delivering  your 
petition,  with  the  consideration  of  which  no  part  of  his  con 
duct  had  any  concern.  If  he  had  done  a  wrong  in  obtain 
ing  and  transmitting  the  letters,  that  was  not  the  tribunal 
where  he  was  to  be  accused  and  tried.  The  cause  was  al 
ready  before  the  Chancellor.  Not  one  of  their  Lordships 
checked  or  recalled  the  orator  to  the  business  before  them, 
but,  on  the  contrary,  a  very  few  excepted,  they  seemed  to 
enjoy  highly  the  entertainment,  and  frequently  burst  out  in 
loud  applause." 

As  to  the  charge  made  against  him,  he  futher 
says: 

"  In  truth  I  came  by  (the  letters)  honorably,  and  my  inten 
tion  in  sending  them  was  virtuous." 

And  of  the  rejection  of  the  petition,  he  sa}Ts : 

4<  It  has  been  a  dangerous  thing  in  any  State  to  stop  up  the 
ent  of  griefs.  Wise  governments  have  therefore  generally 
received  petitions  with  some  indulgence,  even  when  but 
slightly  founded.  Those  who  think  themselves  injured  by 
their  rulers,  are  sometimes,  by  a  mild  and  prudent  answer, 
convinced  of  their  error.  But  where  complaining  is  a  crime, 
hope  becomes  despair." 

The  British  Government  received  the  petition 


316  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN    FHANKLLN. 

o*  the  Assembly  AS  "groundless,  vexatious,  and 
scandalous,'*  ind,  the  next  day,  the  person  vho 
presented  it  was  informed,  that  "  his  Majesty's 
Postmaster  General ^.:und  it  necessary  to  dismiss 
him  from  the  office  of  Deputy  Postmaster  Gen 
eral  in  North  America." 

Dr.  Franklin  naturally  &lt  that  after  the 
treatment  he  had  received  at  the  Council  Board 
he  could  hold  no  more  relations  with  the  Gov 
ernment.  He  would  have  returned  immediately 
to  America,  but  that  he  thought  it  not  proper  to 
leave  the  colonies  without  any  representative, 
during  the  absence,  for  some  months  to  come,  of 
Arthur  Lee,  who  was  to  succeed  him  in  the 
agency.  In  April,  he  wrote  to  his  wife  that  he 
was  "  well  and  hearty,"  and  hoped  soon  to  have 
;  the  happiness  "  of  once  more  seeing  her.  A 
few  days  latter,  he  informed  her  of  the  death  of 
Dr.  He  wson.  In  July  22nd,  he  wrote  the  last  let 
ter  which  we  have,  to  his  wife,  closing  it  in  his 
usual  manner,  "  I  am  ever,  my  dear  Debby, 
your  affectionate  husband." 

She  died  before  his  i^turn,  on  the  nineteenth 
of  December,  1774,  in  the  seventieth  year  of 
her  age,  from  the  effect  of  paralysis ;  and  thus 
ended  a  union  of  forty-four  years.  She  had 
waited  long  to  welcome  him  back,  an'd  her  disap 
pointment  at  his  continued  detention  on  public 
business  preyed  upon  her  spirits.  It  is  sad  t*. 
think  of  the  sick  wife  looking  and  longing  for 
her  absent  husband  month  after  month,  surety 
expecting  seen  to  see  him,  and  then  learning 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  317 

that  a  new  turn  of  affairs  obliged  him  to  remain, 
and  finally  drooping  and  dying  without  sight  o± 
him.  She  had  been  an  affectionate  and  faithful 
wife,  and  deserves  most  honorable  mention  be 
side  her  more  distinguished  husband.  But  fot 
her  kind  heart  and  helpful  hand,  and  her  intelli 
gent  interest  in  his  affairs,  especially  in  their 
humble  days,  he  might  not  have  become  the  far 
famed  man  that  he  did.  She  relieved  him  of 
many  cares,  and  faithfully  watched  over  the 
household  during  his  long  absences. 

Had  he  known,  during  the  last  year  of  his 
stay  in  England,  how  feeble  she  really  was,  and 
how  she  pined  to  see  him,  it  is  certain  that  he 
would  have  allowed  no  public  concerns  to  pre 
vent  an  earlier  return.  But  a  fatal  termination 
of  her  illness  was  not  apprehended,  and  very 
likely  the  worst  was  not  told  him,  as  she  was  in 
constant  hope,  through  many  months,  of  his 
business  abroad  being  settled.  But  it  is  pleasant 
to  know  that  her  children,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bache, 
tenderly  cared  for  her. 

Tidings  having  come,  that  it  was  proposed  tc 
hold  a  Continental  Congress,  u  I  venture,"  he 
says,  "  to  stay  in  compliance  with  the  wish  of 
others,  till  the  result  of  the  Congress  arrives, 
since  they  suppose  my  being  here  might  on  that 
occasion  be  of  use."  His  heart  was  full  of  pa 
triotic  zeal,  and  in  a  letter  to  James  Bowdoin, 
dated  23th  February,  1775,  he  said : 

"  The  eyes  of  all  Christendom  are  now  upon  us,  and  our 
Uonor  as  a  people  is  become  a  matter  of  the  utmost  ccns$- 


318  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

quence  to  be  taken  care  of.  If  we  tamely  give  up  our 
rights  in  this  contest,  a  century  to  come  will  not  restore  us 
in  the  opinion  of  the  world ;  we  shall  be  stamped  with  the 
character  of  dastards,  poltroons,  and  fools ;  and  be  despised 
and  trampled  upon,  not  by  this  haughty,  insolent  nation 
only,  but  by  all  mankind." 

This  letter  mentions  the  fortunate  arrival  at 
this  juncture,  of  Josiah  Quincy  Jr.,  one  of  the 
best  patriots  of  that  patriotic  period.  "It  is  a 
thousand  pities,"  writes  Franklin,  "  his  strength 
of  body  is  not  equal  to  his  strength  of  mind. 
His  zeal  for  the  public,  like  that  of  David  for 
God's  house,  will,  I  fear,  eat  him  up." 

A  new  Parliament  was  to  meet  in  November, 
when  it  was  hoped  by  many  that  measures  might 
be  adopted  to  effect  a  reconciliation  between  the 
two  countries.  Lord  Chatham  was  particularly 
severe  upon  the  administration,  and  anxious  to 
have  all  real  causes  of  offence  removed.  He 
said  so  to  Dr.  Franklin,  at  the  same  time  ex 
pressing  his  fears  that  the  Americans  were  aim 
ing  at  independence ;  which  was  doubtless  true 
at  that  time.  Franklin  now  quite  despaired  of 
any  union  that  would  be  favorable  to  American 
interests. 

"  I  cannot  but  apprehend,"  he  had  said,  in  February,  of 
this  year,  "  more  mischief  than  benefit  from  a  closer  union. 
L  fear  they  will  drag  us  after  them  in  all  the  plundering 
wars  which  their  desperate  circumstances,  injustice  and 
rapacity  may  prompt  them  to  undertake;  and  their  wide- 
wasting  prodigality  and  profusion  is  a  gulf  that  will  swal 
low  up  every  aid  we  may  distress  ourselves  to  afford  them, 
'  f  •  *  J  apprehend,  therefore,  that  to  unite  us  inti- 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FKANKLIN.  319 

mately  will  only  be  to  corrupt  and  poison  us  also.  However, 
I  would  try  anything,  and  bear  anything  that  can  be  borne 
with  safety  to  our  just  liberties,  rather  than  engage  in  a  war 
with  such  relations,  unless  compelled  to  it  by  dire  necessity 
in  our  own  defence." 

About  a  month  before  the  session  of  Parlia 
ment,  Dr.  Franklin,  being  at  the  Royal  Society, 
was  told,  by  one  of  the  members,  that  he  had 
been  requested  by  a  certain  lady  to  invite  him 
to  play  chess  with  her,  fancying  that  she  could 
beat  him.  The  lady  was  no  less  than  a  sister  of 
Lord  Howe,  and  her  acquiantance  wr<*4d  be  em 
inently  agreeable.  The  Doctor  w  -at  not  refuse 
the  challenge.  Of  course  so  poiif,e  an  invitation 
must  be  accepted.  But  the  Poctor,  "  thinking 
it  a  little  awkward,"  postponed  calling  from  day 
to  day,  till  nearly  a  month  was  gone,  when, 
meeting  the  member  again,  he  was  reminded  of 
his  promise,  and  a  day  for  calling  was  set.  He 
went,  and  played  a  few  games  with  the  lady, 
who  proved  to  be  very  sensible  and  agreeable, 
so  that  another  appointment  was  made  for  &  few 
days  afterwards.  The  Doctor  was  completely 
deceived.  He  did  not  suspect  the  arts  of  the 
politician,  under  so  innocent  a  guise.  He  made 
a  second  visit.  After  playing  awhile,  he  and 
the  lady  fell  into  a  little  chat,  first  upon  mathe 
matics —  for  the  lady  was  quite  versed  in  that 
science, —  and  then  about  the  new  Parliament. 

"And  what,"  said  she,  "is  to  be  done  with  this  dispute 
between  Great  Britain  and  the  colonies?  I  hope  we  are  not 
to  have  a  civil  war."  "They  should  kiss  and  be  friends,' 


820  LIFE  OF  BFNJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

replied  the  courteous  Ame./can;  "what  can  they  do  better? 
Quarreling  can  be  of  service  to  neiiti^v,  but  is  ruin  to  both." 
"Thave  often  said,"  replied  she,  "tnat  I  wished  govern 
ment  would  employ  you  to  settle  the  dispute  fi-r  them;  I  am 
sure  nobody  would  do  it  so  well.  Do  not  you  thi">k  that 
the  thing  is  practicable?"  "Undoubtedly,  madam,  it  tho 
parties  are  disposed  to  reconciliation;  for  the  two  countries 
have  really  no  clashing  interests  to  differ  about.  It  is  rather 
a  matter  of  punctilio,  which  two  or  three  reasonable  people 
misht  settle  in  half  an  hour.  I  thank  you  for  the  good 
opinion  you  are  pleased  to  express  of  me ;  but  the  ministers 
will  never  think  of  employing  me  in  that  good  work ;  they 
choose  rather  to  abuse  me."  "Aye,"  said  she,  "  they  have 
behaved  shamefully  to  you.  And  indeed  some  of  them  are 
now  ashamed  of  it  themselves." 

Even  this  he  looked  upon  as  "  accidental  con 
versation,"  and  "  thought  no  more  of  it." 

But  some  days  after,  "  on  Christmas  evening,  visiting  Mrs. 
Howe,  "be  told  me,"  says  Franklin,  "as  soon  as  I  went  in, 
that  hei  orother,  Lord  Howe,  wished  to  be  acquainted  with 
me,  that  he  was  a  very  good  man,  and  she  was  sure  we 
shouM  like  each  other.  I  said  I  had  always  heard  a  good 
character  of  Lord  Howe,  and  should  be  proud  of  the  honor 
of  being  known  to  him.  *  He  is  but  just  by,'  said  she;  *  will 
YOU  give  me  leave  to  send  for  him? '  '  By  all  means, 
<nadam,  if  you  think  proper. '  She  rang  for  a  servant,  wrote 
a  note,  and  Lord  Howe  came  in  a  few  minutes." 

And  this  was  the  game.  Lord  Howe  secretly 
wished  to  be  sent  as  Commissioner  to  America ; 
and  when,  a  little  time  after,  Dr.  Franklin  met 
the  former  at  his  house,  by  appointment,  Mrs. 
Howe,  thinking  the  right  time  had  come,  said, 
"  I  wish,  brother,  you  were  to  be  sent  thither 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  321 

on  such  a  service ;  I  should  like  that  much  bet 
ter  than  General  Howe's  going  to  command  the 
army  there." 

But  all  this  fine  contrivance  accomplished 
nothing,  for,  in  February,  Parliament  refused, 
two  to  one,  to  adopt  Lord  Chatham's  plan  of  rec 
onciliation,  and  Lord  Howe  could  not  bring 
Franklin  to  tone  down  his  demands  for  America. 
Franklin  was  denounced,  by  Lord  Sandwich,  as 
"  one  of  the  bitterest  and  most  mischievous  ene 
mies  this  country  had  ever  known."  And 
though  Lord  Chatham  replied,  that  the  gentle 
man  alluded  to  was  "one  whom  all  Europe 
held  in  high  estimation  for  his  knowledge  and 
wisdom,  and  ranked  with  our  Boyles  and  New- 
tons  ;  who  was  an  honor,  not  to  the  English  na 
tion  only,  but  to  human  nature,"  yet,  for  the 
present  at  least,  negotiations  were  plainly  at  an 
end. 

He  sailed  from  England,  March  21st,  1775, 
having  been  absent  from  America  more  than  ten 
years.  While  on  the  voyage,  he  made  an  in 
vestigation  of  the  Gulf  Stream,  the  water  of 
which  he  ascertained,  by  experiments  with  a 
themometer,  to  be  warmer  than  that  on  either 
side ;  not  knowing  what  was  going  on  at  Lex 
ington  and  Concord.  Had  he  heard  those  guns, 
which  heralded  the  Revolution  and  Indepen- 
ence  he  too  would  have  exclaimed  with  Samuel 
Adams,  "  Oh,  what  a  glorious  morning  is  this  I " 


322  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

At  Home.  —  Elected  Member  of  the  Assembly.  — 
Delegate  to  Congress.  —  Letter  to  Dr.  Priest 
ley.  —  Battle  of  Lexington.  —  Private  Duties. 

—  Letter  to  Mrs.  Mecom.  —  Letter  from  Mrs. 
Mecom. —  From  Mrs.  Grreene.  —  Letter  to  Mrs. 
Hew  son.  —  Busy  Life.  —  Committee  of  Safety. 

—  Draws  up  Plan  of  Confederation.  —  Indian 
Affairs.  —  Secret   Committee.  —  Secret    Corre 
spondence.  —  Commissioner  to  Canada.  —  Post 
master  General.  —  Confers  with  Washington  at 
Cambridge. —  Letter  to  Dr.  Priestley.  —  Battle 
of  Bunker  Hill. —  To  a  Friend  in  England. — 
Petition  to  the  Crown.  —  Mr.  Dickinson. —  The 
Colonies   Ripe   for  Independence.  —  Virginia 
Recommends    Separation     from    England.  — 
Mecklenburg    County.  —  Declaration   of  Inde 
pendence.  —  Thomas  Jefferson.  —  John  Adams. 

—  Extracts  from  the  Original  Draft.  —  Story 
of  John  Thompson,  the  Hatter. — John  Hancock. 

—  Franklin's  Wit. — "  Hanging  Together  "  and 
"  Hanging  Separately" 

AFTER  a  six  weeks'  passage,  Dr.  Franklin 
reached  home  "in  the  evening,  and  the  next 
morning  was  unanimously  chosen  by  the  Assem 
bly  of  Pennsylvania,  a  delegate  to  "  the  second 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  323 

Continental  "  Congress,"  which  had  then  been 
in  session  about  nine  days. 

Writing  to  Dr.  Priestley,  about  a  fortnight 
after  his  arrival,  he  says : 

"  You  will  have  heard  before  this  reaches  you,  of  a  march 
stolen  by  the  regulars  into  the  country  by  night,  and  of  their 
expedition  back  again.  They  retreated  twenty  miles  in  six 
hours.  The  governor  had  called  the  Assembly  to  propose 
Lord  North's  pacific  plan,  but,  before  the  time  of  their  meet 
ing,  began  cutting  of  throats.  You  know  it  was  said  he 
carried  the  sword  in  one  hand,  and  the  olive  branch  in  the 
other;  and  it  seems  he  chose  to  give  them  a  taste  of  the 
sword  first.  He  is  doubling  his  fortifications  at  Boston,  and 
hopes  to  secure  his  troops  till  succor  arrives.  The  place 
indeed  is  naturally  so  defensible,  that  I  think  them  in  no 
danger.  All  America  is  exasperated  by  his  conduct,  and 
more  firmly  united  than  ever.  The  breach  between  the  two 
countries  is  grown  wider,  and  in  danger  of  becoming  irre 
parable." 

The  press  of  public  business  which  immedi 
ately  awaited  Franklin,  did  not  make  him  for 
get  his  more  private  duties.  He  wrote  to  his 
sister,  Mrs.  Mecom,  who,  during  the  siege,  had 
left  her  home,  and  was  residing  at  Warwick, 
Rhode  Island,  with  a  friend  of  his,  Mrs.  Greene, 
wife  of  the  Governor  of  Rhode  Island,  informing 
her  of  his  safe  arrival,  and  making  particular  in 
quiry  how  she  had  left  her  affairs  in  Boston,  and 
whether  he  could  render  her  any  assistance.  If 
not  convenient  for  her  to  come  to  Philadelphia, 
he  would,  if  she  wished,  endeavor  to  so  arrange 
his  business  as  to  visit  her. 

Some  weeks  after,  he  received  the  following 


324  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

letter  from  his  sister,  who  was  still  at  "W  arwick  : 

"I  could  have  wished  you  had  been  left  to  your  own 
option  to  have  assisted  in  public  affairs,  so  as  not  to  fatigue 
you  too  much;  but  as  your  talents  are  superior  to  most 
other  men's,  I- can't  help  requiring  your  country  should  en 
joy  the  benefit  of  them  while  you  live,  but  can't  bear  the 
thought  of  your  going  to  England  again.  •  •  *  You  posi 
tively  must  not  go ;  you  have  served  the  public  in  that  way 
beyond  what  any  other  man  can  boast  till  you  are  now  come 
to  a  good  old  age,  and  some  younger  men  must  now  take 
that  painful  service  upon  them.  Don't  go,  pray,  don't  go; 
you  certainly  may  do  as  much  good  here,  as  circumstances 
are  at  present." 

Another,  from  Mrs.  Green,  accompanied  the 
above,  in  which,  referring  to  Mrs.  Mecom,  she 
says : 

"  She  was  kind  enough  to  show  me  her  letter,  and  you 
are  fearful  she  will  be  troublesome,  but  be  assured  that  her 
company  richly  pays  as  she  goes  along,  and  we  are  very 
happy  together,  and  shall  not  consent  to  spare  her  to  any 
body  but  her  brother,  were  he  to  stay  at  home  and  be  posi 
tive;  but  if  you  are  to  journey  we  must  have  her,  for  she  is 
my  mamma  and  friend,  and  I  tell  her  that  we  are  rich,  that 
we  have  a  lot  here  and  another  there,  and  have  three  or  four 
of  them,  and  we  divert  one  another  charmingly.  Do  come 
and  see  us,  certain!  Don't  think  of  going  home  (to  Eng 
land)  again.  Do  sit  down  and  enjoy  the  remainder  of  your 
days  in  peace.  •  •  •  • 

"  Affectionate  as  long  as  life, 

"  CATY  GBEEITE." 

Neither,  amid  his  public  and  private  cares  at 
home,  did  he  forget  his  friend  in  England,  Mrs. 
He  wson.  Writing  to  her,  he  says  : 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  325 

"  It  grieves  me,  that  the  present  situation  of  public  affairs 
make?  it  not  eligible  for  you  to  come  hither  with  your  fam 
ily,  because  I  am  sure  you  would  otherwise  like  this  coun 
try,  and  might  provide  better  here  for  your  children,  at  the 
same  time  that  I  should  be  made  more  happy  by  your 
neighborhood  and  company.  I  flatter  myself  that  this  may 
yet  happen,  and  that  our  public  disputes  may  be  ended  by 
the  time  your  private  business  is  settled  to  your  mind,  and 
then  we  may  be  all  happy  together. 

"  I  take  it  kindly  of  my  godson,  that  he  should  remember 
me ;  my  love  to  him.  I  am  glad  to  hear  the  dear  children 
are  all  well  through  the  measles.  I  have  much  delight  in 
my  godsons.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bache  join  in  love  to  yours. 
Ben,*  when  I  delivered  him  your  blessing,  inquired  the  age 
of  Elisabeth,  and  thought  her  yet  too  young  for  him ;  but, 
as  he  made  no  other  objection,  and  that  will  lessen  every 
day,  I  have  only  to  wish  being  alive  to  dance  with  your 
mother  at  the  wedding.  Temple  was  much  obliged  by  your 
kind  remembrance  of  him.  He  is  now  very  happy  with 
his  father  (the  governor)  at  Amboy,  but  returns  to  me 
in  September,  to  prosecute  his  studies  in  our  College. 

"I  am  much  pleased  with  the  contribution  letter,  and 
thank  you  for  your  share  of  it.  I  am  still  well  and  hearty, 
and  never  went  through  more  business  than  I  do  at  present. 
God  knows  when  I  shall  be  permitted  to  enjoy  the  repose  I 
wish.  Adieu,  my  dear  friend.  Continue  your  pleasing 
correspondence,  and  believe  me  yours  most  affectionately." 

Franklin  was  now  sixty-nine  years  old,  yet  he 
had  never  labored  with  more  ability;  and  so 
it  would  be  for  years  to  come.  In  strength 
and  clearness  of  mind,  power  of  endurance,  and 
patriotic  enthusiasm,  he  was  fully  the  peer,  in 

*  Son  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Bache ;  he  was  then  probably  about  seven  years  old. 


326  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

many  cases,  the  superior,  of  eminent  men  much 
younger  than  himself.  In  fact,  this  was  the 
brightest  as  well  as  most  brilliant  period  of  his 
life. 

"  In  the  morning  at  six,"  he  wrote,  "  I  am  at  the  Commit 
tee  of  Safety,  which  Committee  holds  till  near  nine,  when  I 
am  at  Congress,  and  that  sits  till  four  in  the  afternoon." 
"Both  these  bodies  proceed  with  the  greatest  unanimity." 

The  Committee  referred  to  was  appointed  by 
the  Assembly  of  Pennsylvania,  for  the  defence 
of  the  province,  and  its  duties  involved  a  great 
deal  of  labor.  In  Congress,  he  took  an  active 
part  iii  almost  every  important  measure.  He 
drew  up  a  plan  of  Corporation  for  the  Colonies ; 
he  was  intrusted  with  the  chief  care  of  Indian 
affairs  ;  he  was  member  of  a  Secret  Committee, 
to  provide  military  supplies  at  home  or  from 
abroad ;  lie  bore  the  burden  of  the  Committee 
of  Secret  Correspondence ;  and  he  was  one  of 
several  commissioners  who  were  sent  to  Canada, 
to  endeavor  to  persuade  that  province  to  unite 
with  the  other  colonies.  He  was  appointed 
Postmaster  General,  and  had  the  care  of  organ 
izing  that  department  for  the  whole  country. 
He  was  also  one  of  a  Committee  appointed  by 
Congress  to  confer  with  Washington  at  the 
head-quarters  at  Cambridge,  concerning  the  best 
mode  of  organizing  an  army.  A  part  of  the 
time,  also,  he  was  member  of  the  Assembly  of 
Pennsylvania. 

Just  before  setting  out  for  Cambridge,  which 


LIFE   OF    BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  327 

he  did,  October  4th,  1775,  he  wrote  to  his  friend 
Dr.  Priestley : 

"Tell  our  good  friend,  Dr.  Price,  who  sometimes  has  his 
doubts  and  despondencies  about  our  firmness,  that  America 
is  determined  and  unanimous ;  a  very  few  tories  and  place 
men  excepted,  who  will  probably  soon  export  themselves. 
Britain,  at  the  expense  of  three  millions,  has  killed  one  hun 
dred  and  fifty  Yankees  this  campaign,  which  is  twenty  thou 
sand  pounds  a  head;  and  at  Bunker's  Hill  she  gained  a  mile 
of  ground,  half  of  which  she  lost  again  by  our  taking  post 
on  Ploughed  Hill  *.  During  the  same  time  sixty  thousand 
children  have  been  born  in  America.  From  these  data  his 
mathematical  head  will  easily  calculate  the  time  and  expense 
necessary  to  kill  us  all,  and  conquer  our  whole  territory." 

The  same  day,  he  wrote  to  another  friend  in 
England : 

"  We  hear  that  more  ships  and  troops  are  coming  out.  We 
know  that  you  may  do  us  a  great  deal  of  mischief,  and  are 
determined  to  bear  it  patiently  as  long  as  we  can.  But  if 
you  natter  yourselves  with  beating  us  into  submission,  you 
know  neither  the  people  nor  the  country.  The  Congress 
are  still  sitting,  and  will  wait  the  result  of  the  last  peti 
tion." 

This  petition  to  the  Crown  had  been  reluc 
tantly  sent  by  this  Congress,  at  the  earnest  so 
licitation  of  Mr.  Dickinson,  Mr.  Jay,  and  others, 
but  without  any  expectation  on  the  part  of 
Franklin  and  most  of  the  members,  that  Eng 
land  would  "have  sense  enough  to  embrace'' 
the  opportunity  of  reconciliation. 

The  country  was  now  ripe  for  another  and 

*  In  what  is  now  Somerville, 


328  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN. 

bolder  step.  To  Virginia  is  ascribed  the  honor 
of  first  proposing  it,  by  her  delegates  in  Con 
gress,  on  the  7th  of  June ;  though  the  priority 
is  claimed  by  North  Carolina,  in  the  action  of 
the  citizens  of  Mecklenberg  County.  It  was, 
that  the  colonies  should  declare  themselves  free 
and  independent  states.  Franklin  was  one  of  a 
committee  of  five  appointed  by  Congress,  to  pre 
pare  a  Declaration  of  Independence;  "designed," 
says  Jefferson,  "  to  be  an  appeal  to  the  tribunal 
of  the  world  ;  "  "  an  expression  of  the  American 
mind,"  embodying  "  the  harmonizing  sentiments 
of  the  day,  whether  expressed  in  conversation, 
in  letters,  printed  essays,  or  in  the  elementary 
books  of  public  right,  as  Aristotle,  Cicero, 
Locke,  etc."  It  was  prepared  by  Thomas  Jeffer 
son,  a  few  verbal  amendments  being  made  by 
Dr.  Franklin  and  John  Adams,  and  was  signed 
on  the  evening  of  July  4th.  It  was  not 
adopted,  however,  without  a  warm  discussion 
of  several  days*  much  to  the  annoyance  of  its 
author. 

"  The  pusillanimous  idea,"  says  Jefferson,  "that  we  haw 
friends  in  England  worth  keeping  terms  with,  still  haunter* 
the  minds  of  many.  For  this  reason  those  passages  which 
conveyed  censures  on  the  people  of  England,  were  struck 
out,  lest  they  should  give  offence." 

The  following  passage  fell  under  this  cen 
sure  : 

"  At  this  very  time,  too,  they  [the  people  of  England]  are 
permitting  their  chief  magistrates  to  send  over  not  only  sol 
diers  of  our  common  blood,  but  Scotch  and  foreign  merce- 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN    FHANKLIN.  329 

naries  to  invade  and  destroy  us.  These  facts  have  given  the 
last  stab  to  agonizing  affection,  and  manly  spirit  bids  us  to 
renounce  forever  these  unfeeling  brethren.  We  must  en 
deavor  to  forget  our  former  love  for  them,  and  hold  them 
as  we  hold  the  rest  of  mankind,  enemies  in  war,  in  peace 
friends.  We  might  have  been  a  free  and  a  great  people  to 
gether,  but  a  communication  of  grandeur  and  of  freedom,  it 
seems,  is  below  their  dignity.  Be  it  so,  since  they  will  have 
it.  The  road  to  happiness  and  glory  is  open  to  us  too.  We 
will  tread  it  apart  from  them,  and  [acquiesce  in  the  neces 
sity  whieh  denounces  our]  eternal  [separation]." 

The  following  passage  in  the  original  draft 
was  also  stricken  out,  for  fear  of  offending  those 
in  the  northern  colonies  who  profited  by  the 
slave-trade,  and  those  extreme  southern  prov 
inces  which  clung  with  peculiar  tenacity  to 
slavery : 

"  He  [the  King  of  England]  has  waged  civil  war  against 
human  nature  itself,  violating  its  most  sacred  rights  of  life 
and  liberty,  in  the  persons  of  a  distant  people,  who  never 
offended  him;  captivating,  and  carrying  them  into  slavery 
in  another  hemisphere,  or  to  incur  miserable  death  in  their 
transportations  thither.  This  piratical  warfare,  the  oppro 
brium  of  infidel  powers,  is  the  warfare  of  the  Christian 
King  of  Great  Britain  :  determined  to  keep  open  a  market 
where  MEN  should  be  bought  and  sold,  he  prostituted  his 
negative  for  suppressing  every  legislative  attempt  to  prohibit 
or  restrain  this  execrable  commerce ;  aud,  that  this  assem 
blage  of  horrors  might  want  no  fact  of  distinguished  dye,  he 
is  now  exciting  those  very  people  to  rise  in  arms  among  us, 
and  to  purchase  that  liberty  of  which  he  has  deprived  them, 
by  murdering  the  people  upon  whom  he  also  obtruded  them, 
thus  paying  off  former  crimes,  committed  against  the  liber- 


330  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FKANKLIN. 

ties  of  one  people,  with  crimes  which  he  urges  them  to 
commit  against  the  lives  of  another." 

These  censures  of  the  English  government 
and  people,  and  these  denunciations  of  slavery, 
were  not  objectionable  to  Franklin  and  Adams, 
and  the  other  members  of  the  committee. 

Mr.  Adams  was  the  foremost  defender  of  the 
document. .  Franklin,  by  way  of  comfort  to  Jef 
ferson,  who  was  "  writhing  a  little  under  the 
acrimonious  censure  of  one  of  its  parts,"  told 
him  the  story  of  John  Thompson,  the  hatter : 

"I  have  made  it  a  rule,"  said  he,  "whenever  in  my 
power  to  avoid  becoming  the  draftsman  of  papers  to  be  re 
viewed  by  a  public  body.  I  took  my  lesson  from  an  inci 
dent,  which  I  will  relate  to  you.  When  I  was  a  journeyman 
printer,  one  of  my  companions,  an  apprentice  hatter,  having 
served  out  his  time,  was  about  to  open  a  shop  for  himself. 
His  first  concern  was  to  have  a  handsome  sign  board,  with  a 
proper  inscription.  He  composed  it  in  these  words,  John 
Thompson,  Hatter,  makes  and  sells  Hats  for  ready  money, 
with  a  figure  of  a  hat  subjoined.  But  he  thought  he  would 
submit  it  to  his  friends  for  their  amendments.  The  first  he 
showed  it  to,  thought  the  word  hatter  tautologous,  because 
followed  by  the  words  makes  hats,  which  showed  he  was  a 
hatter.  It  was  struck  out.  The  next  observed,  that  the 
word  makes  might  as  well  be  omitted,  because  his  customers 
would  not  care  who  made  the  hats ;  if  good  and  to  their 
mind,  they  would  buy,  by  whomsoever  made.  He  struck  it 
out.  A  third  said  he  thought  the  words  for  ready  money 
were  useless,  as  it  was  not  the  custom  of  the  place  to  sell  on 
credit.  Every  one  who  purchased,  expected  to  pay.  They 
were  parted  with;  and  the  inscription  now  stood,  'John 
Thompson  sells  hats.'  ' Sells  hats?'  says  his  next  friend; 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  331 

'why,  nobody  will  expect  you  to  give  them  away.  What 
theii  is  the  use  of  that  word?'  It  was  stricken  out,  and 
hats  followed,  the  rather,  as  there  was  one  painted  on  the 
board.  So  his  inscription  was  reduced  ultimately  to  John 
Thompson,  with  the  figure  of  a  hat  subjoined." 

Franklin's  ready  wit  came  out  when  the  mem 
bers  were  about  signing  the  Declaration. 

"We  must  be  unanimous,"  said  John  Hancock;  "  there 
must  be  no  pulling  different  ways;  we  must  all  hang  to 
gether."  "Yes,"  replied  Franklin,  "we  must  indeed  all 
hang  together,  or  most  assuredly  we  shall  all  hang  sepa 
rately." 


382  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FEAKKLTN. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

Great  Britain  Tries  Further  Negotiation. —  Lord 
Howe  as  a  Commissioner  to  Treat  with  the  Col 
onies.  —  Franklin  one  of  a  Committee  of  Con-* 
fercnce.  —  John  Adams"  Account  of  the,  First 
Night  on  the  Way  to  New  York.  —  Scene  in  the 
Tavern.  —  Fresh  Air.  —  Interview  with  Lord 
Howe. — Monument  to  his  Brother. — Frank 
lin's  Reply  to  Howe. — No  Result.  —  Seeking 
an  Alliance  with  France. — Appointment  of  Dr. 
Franklin  as  Ambassador.  —  Leaves  America. 

—  His  Two  Crrandsons.  —  At  Passy.  —  Effect 
of  his  Arrival.  —  The  English  Ambassador. — 
How  Franklin  was  Received.  —  Jefferson's  Ac 
count.  —  Playing  Chess  with   the   Duchess   of 
Bourbon.  —  Letter  to  Mrs.  Hewson. —  Describes 
his  oivn  Appearance.  —  Letter  to  Another  Lady 

—  Madame   Campari's  Account.  — Letter  from 
Franklin.  —  French     Ladies.  —  Letter    from 
Mrs.  Mecom.  —  Lord  Brougham.  —  Visited  by 
Eminent  Persons.  —  Buff  on.  —  Voltaire.  — An 
Annoyance.  — Letter  of  Recommendation.  —  A 
Model  Letter.  —  Lafayette.  —  New  Efforts  at 
Reconciliation.  —  Edmund  Burke,  —  Philadel 
phia  and  General  Howe.  —  Letter  from  Mrs. 
Bache.  —  Treaties  of  Alliance   and  Commerce. 

—  Independence  Recognized.  —  Introduced   to 
the  King.  — Popular  Demonstrations, 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  333 

NOTWITHSTANDING  the  declaration  of  inde 
pendence  by  the  Continental  Congress,  and  the 
vigorous  prosecution  of  hostile  operations  by 
both  parties,  the  British  Government,  fearing 
doubtless  whereunto  these  things  would  grow, 
if  not  speedily  counteracted,  resolved  to  try 
what  virtue  there  might  be  in  further  negotia 
tion.  The  famous  game  of  chess  into  which 
Franklin,  when  in  England,  had  been  enticed 
by  an  excellent  but  artful  lady,  had  been  so 
far  successfully  played,  as  that  her  brother, 
Lord  Howe,  had  become  commissioner  from  the 
crown  to  treat  with  the  colonies.  And,  singu 
larly  enough,  Franklin  was  one  of  a  committee 
of  three  appointed  by  Congress  to  meet  him, 
and  hear  what  proposals  he  had  to  offer.  The 
interview  took  place  on  Staten  Island,  Septem 
ber  llth.  John  Adams,  who  was  one  of  the 
committee,  tells  us  how  they  spent  their  first 
night  on  the  way,  at  New  Brunswick : 

"The  taverns  were  so  full  we  could  with  difficulty  obtain 
entertainment.  •  •  •  •  But  one  bed  could  be  procured 
for  Dr.  Franklin  and  me,  in  a  chamber  little  longer  than  the 
bed,  without  a  chimney,  arid  with  only  one  small  window. 
The  window  was  open,  and  I,  who  was  an  invalid  and 
afraid  of  the  air  in  the  night,  shut  it  close.  *  Oh,'  says 
Franklin,  'don't  shut  the  window,  we  shall  be  suffocated.' 
I  answered,  I  was  afraid  of  the  evening  air.  Dr.  Franklin 
replied,  '  The  air  within  this  chamber  will  soon  be,  and  in 
deed  is  now,  worse  than  without  doors.  Come,  open  the 
window,  and  come  to  bed,  and  I  will  convince  you.  I  be 
lieve  you  are  not  acquainted  with  my  theory  of  colds.' 
Opening  the  window,  and  leaping  into  bed,  I  said  I  had 


334  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

read  his  letters  to  Dr.  Cooper,  in  winch  he  had  advanced 
that  nobody  had  ever  got  cold  by  going  into  a  cold  church 
or  any  other  cold  air,  but  the  theory  was  so  little  consistent 
with  my  experience  that  I  thought  it  a  paradox.  However, 
I  had  so  much  curiosity  to  hear  his  reasons,  that  I  would 
run  the  risk  of  a  cold.  The  doctor  then  began  a  harangue 
upon  air  and  cold,  and  respiration  and  perspiration,  with 
which  I  was  so  much  amused  that  I  soon  fell  asleep,  and 
left  him  and  his  philosophy  together,  but  I  believe  they 
were  equally  sound  and  insensible  within  a  few  minutes 
after  me,  for  the  last  words  I  heard  were  pronounced  as  if 
he  was  more  than  half  asleep.  I  remember  little  of  the 
lecture,  except  that  the  human  body  by  respiration  and 
perspiration  destroys  a  gallon  of  air  a  minute ;  that  two  such 
persons  as  were  now  in  that  chamber  would  consume  all  the 
air  in  it  in  an  hour  or  two;  that  by  breathing  over  again 
the  air  thrown  off  by  the  lungs  and  the  skin,  we  should 
imbibe  the  real  cause  of  colds,  not  from  abroad,  but  from 
within,  etc." 

At  the  interview,  continues  Mr.  Adams, 

"Lord  Howe  was  profuse  in  his  expressions  of  gratitude 
to  the  State  of  Massachusetts  for  erecting  a  marble  monu 
ment,  in  Westminster  Abbey,  to  his  elder  brother,  Lord 
Howe,  who  was  killed  in  America  in  the  last  French  war, 
saying,  'he  esteemed  that  honor  to  his  family  above  all 
things  in  this  world.  That  such  was  his  gratitude  and  affec 
tion  to  the  country  on  that  account  that  he  felt  for  America 
as  for  a  brother,  and  if  America  should  fall,  he  should  feel 
and  lament  it  like  the  loss  of  a  brother.'  Dr.  Franklin, 
with  an  easy  air  and  a  collected  countenance,  a  bow,  a  smile, 
and  all  that  naivete  which  sometimes  appeared  in  his  conver 
sation,  and  is  often  observed  fh  his  writings,  replied:  'My 
Lord,  we  will  do  our  utmost  endeavors  to  spare  your  lord 
ship  that  mortification.'  His  lordship  appeared  to  feel  this 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FBANKLIN.  335 

with  more  sensibility  than  I  could  expect;  but  Le  only  re 
turned,  '  I  suppose  you  will  endeavor  to  give  us  employment 
in  Europe.'  " 

It  turned  out  that  the  royal  commissioner, 
though  exceedingly  polite,  would  not  recognize 
them,  nor  indeed  General  Washington  or  the 
Congress,  in  their  official  capacity,  and  that  all 
he  had  to  offer  was  pardon  with  submission. 
Thus  forever  ended  the  game. 

The  colonies  had  taken  their  stand  as  an  inde 
pendent  nation,  but  they  still  had  to  defend 
their  claim  against  a  powerful  foe.  Help  was 
needed,  and  an  alliance  was  now  sought  with 
France,  long  a  bitter  enemy,  but  now  disposed 
to  be  friendly.  Who  shall  be  sent  on  so  delicate 
an  embassy?  Franklin,  though  now  seventy 
years  of  age,  was  the  first  and  unanimous  choice 
of  Congress,  as  of  the  country.  With  him  were 
associated  Silas  Deane  and  Arthur  Lee,  who 
were  then  abroad,  but  Franklin  was  the  soul  of 
the  commission. 

He  left  Philadelphia  on  the  26th  of  October, 
1776,  accompanied  by  two  of  his  grandsons, 
William  Temple  Franklin  and  Benjamin  Frank 
lin  Bache,  the  one  seventeen  and  the  other 
seven.  After  a  rough  passage  of  thirty  days, 
which  somewhat  "weakened"  him,  they  reached 
France.  He  hired  a  "  fine  "  house  at  Passy,  a 
pleasant  village  a  little  out  of  Paris,  where  he 
enjoyed  the  pleasure  of  a  "  large  garden  to 
walk  in." 

He  had  come  unheralded  and  apparently  as  a 


386  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN. 

private  citizen,  his  appointment  by  Congress  be 
ing  a  profound  secret,  but  his  arrival  was  soon 
known  throughout  Europe,  and  awakened  uni 
versal  interest.  The  English  ambassador  threat 
ened  to  leave  France  if  this  rebel  agent  was  re 
ceived  by  the  French  court,  but  he  was  pacified 
with  the  reply,  that  not  much  harm  could  be 
expected  from  an  old  man  of  nearly  eighty. 
u  Extreme  civilities  "  were  extended  to  the  dis 
tinguished  stranger  by  "  numbers  of  the  princi 
pal  people."  Writing  afterwards  to  a  friend  he 


"If  being  treated  with  all  the  politeness  of  France,  and 
the  apparent  respect  and  esteem  of  all  ranks,  from  the  high 
est  to  the  lowest,  can  make  a  man  happy,  I  ought  to  be  so." 

A  French  historian  *  of  the  period  says  of 
him : 

"By  the  effect  which  Franklin  produced  in  France,  one 
might  say  he  fulfilled  his  mission,  not  with  a  court,  but  with 
a  free  people.  Diplomatic  etiquette  did  not  permit  him 
often  to  hold  interviews  with  the  ministers,  but  he  associa 
ted  with  all  the  distinguished  personages  who  directed  pub 
lic  opinion.  Men  imagined  they  saw  in  him  a  sage  of  an 
tiquity,  come  back  to  give  austere  lessons  and  generous  ex 
amples  to  the  moderns.  They  personified  in  him  the  repub 
lic,  of  which  he  was  the  representative  and  the  legislator. 
They  regarded  his  virtues  as  those  of  his  countrymen,  and 
even  judged  of  their  physiognomy  by  the  imposing  and  serene 
traits  of  his  own.  Happy  was  he  who  could  gain  admittance 
to  see  him  in  the  house  which  he  occupied  at  Passy.  This 
venerable  old  man,  it  was  said,  joined  to  the  demeanor  of 
Phocion  the  spirit  of  Socrates.  Courtiers  were  struck  with 

*  See  Sparks,  Life  and  Writings  of  Franklin,  I.,  490. 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  337 

his  native  dignity,  and  discovered  in  him  the  profound 
statesman.  Young  officers,  impatient  to  signalize  them 
selves  in  another  hemisphere,  came  to  interrogate  him  re 
specting  the  military  condition  of  the  Americans  ;  when 
he  spoke  to  them  with  deep  concern  and  a  manly  frankness 
of  the  recent  defeats,  which  had  put  his  country  in  jeopardy, 
this  only  excited  in  them  a  more  ardent  desire  to  join  and 
assist  the  republican  soldiers. His  vir 
tues  and  his  renown  negotiated  for  him ;  and,  before  the  sec 
ond  year  of  his  mission  had  expired,  no  one  conceived  it 
possible  to  refuse  fleets  and  an  army  to  the  compatriots  of 
Franklin." 

"When  Dr.  Franklin  went  to  France,"  says  Jefferson, 
' '  on  his  revolutionary  mission,  his  eminence  as  a  philos 
opher,  his  venerable  appearance,  and  the  cause  on  whicli  he 
was  sent,  rendered  him  extremely  popular.  For  all  ranks 
and  conditions  of  men  there  entered  warmly  into  the  Amer 
ican  interests.  He  was,  therefore,  feasted  and  invited  to  all 
the  court  parties.  At  these  he  sometimes  met  the  old  Duch 
ess  of  Bourbon,  whc  being  a  chess-player  of  about  his  force, 
they  very  generally  played  together.  Happening  once  to 
put  her  king  into  prize,  the  Doctor  took  it.  'Ah,'  says  she, 
'  we  do  not  take  kings  so.'  *  We  do  in  America,'  said  the 
Doctor." 

He  thus  described  his  own  appearance,  in  let 
ters  to  friends : 

"  Figure  to  yourself,"  he  wrote  to  Mrs.  Hewson,  "an  old 
man  with  gray  hair  appearing  under  a  martin  fur  cap, 
among  the  powdered  heads  of  Paris.  It  is  this  odd  figure 
that  salutes  you,  with  handf  ulls  of  blessings  on  you  and  your 
dear  little  ones," 

"  I  know  you  wish  you  could  see  me,"  he  wrote  to  another 
lady  in  England;  "  but  as  you  cannot,  I  will  describe  myself 


338  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FEANKXIN. 

to  you.  Figure  me  in  your  mind  as  jolly  as  formerly,  a*  d 
as  strong  and  hearty,  only  a  few  years  older;  very  plainly 
dressed,  wearing  my  thin  gray  straight  hair,  that  peeps  cut 
under  my  only  coiffure,  a  fine  fur  cap,  which  comes  down 
my  forehead  almost  to  my  spectacles.  Think  how  this  must 
appear  among  the  powdered  heads  of  Paris !  I  wish  every 
lady  and  gentleman  in  France  would  only  be  so  obliging  as 
to  follow  my  fashion,  comb  their  own  heads  as  I  do  mine, 
dismiss  their  friseurs,  and  pay  me  half  the  money  they  paid 
to  them.  You  see,  the  gentry  might  well  afford  this,  and  I 
could  then  enlist  these  friseurs,  who  are  at  least  one  hun 
dred  thousand,  and  with  the  money  I  would  maintain  them, 
make  a  visit  with  them  to  England,  and  dress  the  heads  of 
your  ministers  and  privy  counsellors ;  which  I  conceive  at 
present  to  be  un  peu  derangees." 

"  When  Franklin  appeared  at  court,"  says  Madame  Cam- 
pan,*  it  was  "  in  the  costume  of  an  American  planter;  his 
hair  plainly  brushed,  without  powder.  His  round  hat  and 
plain  coat  of  brown  cloth  contrasted  strongly  with  the  pow 
dered  coiffures  and  the  bespangled  and  embroidered  coats  of 
the  perfumed  courtiers  of  Versailles.  His  simple  and  novel 
yet  dignified  appearance  charmed  the  ladies  of  the  court, 
and  many  were  the  fetes  given  him,  not  only  for  his  fame  as 
a  philosopher,  but  in  acknowledgment  of  his  patriotic  virtues, 
which  led  him  to  enroll  himself  among  the  noble  supporters 
of  the  cause  of  liberty.  I  assisted  at  one  of  these  entertain 
ments,  where  the  most  beautiful  from  among  three  hundred 
ladies  was  designated  to  place  a  crown  of  laurel  on  the  gray 
head,  and  salute  with  a  kiss  each  cheek  of  the  American 
philosopher." 

The  tidings  of  these  attentions  found  their 
way  to  America.  Alluding  to  them,  he  wrote 
some  time  after,  to  an  American  friend : 

*  Memoirs  of  Marie  Antoinette. 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FBANKLIN.  339 

"  The  account  you  have  had  of  the  vogue  I  am  in  here  has 
some  truth  in  it.  Perhaps  few  strangers  in  France  have  had 
the  good  fortune  to  be  so  universally  popular ;  but  the  story 
you  allude  to,  mentioning  '  mechanic  rust,'  is  totally  with 
out  foundation.  But  one  is  not  to  expect  being  always  in 
fashion.  I  hope,  however,  to  preserve,  while  I  stay,  the  re 
gard  of  the  French  ladies ;  for  their  society  and  conversation, 
when  I  have  time  to  enjoy  them,  are  extremely  agreeable." 

His  good  sister  Mecom  could  not  restrain  the 
expression  of  her  delight  at  the  honors  heaped 
upon  him. 

"Bless  God,"  she  wrote,  "  I  now  and  then  hear  of  your 
health  and  glorious  achievements  in  the  political  way,  as 
well  as  in  the  favor  of  the  ladies,  (since  you  have  rubbed  off 
the  mechanic  rust,  and  commenced  complete  courtier)  who 
claim  from  you  the  tribute  of  an  embrace,  and  it  seems  you 
do  not  complain  of  the  tax  as  a  very  great  penance." 

But  he  was  not  spoiled  by  these  praises  and 
caresses. 

"No  patrician,"  says  Lord  Brougham,  "  born  to  shine  in 
courts,  or  assist  at  the  councils  of  monarchs,  ever  bore  his 
honors  in  a  lofty  station  more  easily,  or  was  less  spoilt  by  the 
enjoyment  of  them  than  this  common  workman  did  when 
negotiating  with  royal  representatives,  or  caressed  by  all  the 
beauty  and  fashion  of  the  most  brilliant  court  in  Europe." 

Persons  eminent  in  literature  and  science 
were  attracted  to  Franklin.  Buffon,  D'Alem- 
bert,  Condorcet,  Raynal,  and  many  other  cele 
brated  men  courted  his  society.  When  Voltaire, 
near  the  end  of  his  life,  came  to  Paris,  where  he 
received  the  caresses  and  adulations  of  the  people, 
he  sought  an  interview  with  the  American  phi 
losopher. 


340  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FKANKLIN. 

But  his  popularity  had  its  drawbacks.  He 
was  beset  by  crowds  of  applicants  for  letters  of 
recommendation  to  Washington  and  other  lead 
ing  men  in  America.  Young  officers  wanted 
positions  in  the  new  army,  most  of  whom  he 
found  it  necessary  to  refuse. 

"These  applications,"  lie  says,  "are  my  perpetual  tor 
ment.  *  *  •  Not  a  day  passes  in  which  I  have  not  a  num 
ber  of  soliciting  visits,  besides  letters.  •  *  '  You  can 
have  no  conception  how  I  am  harassed.  All  my  old  friends 
are  sought  out,  and  teased  to  tease  me.  Great  officers  of  all 
ranks,  in  all  departments;  ladies,  great  and  small,  besides 
professed  solicitors,  worry  me  from  morning  till  night.  The 
noise  of  every  coach  now  that  enters  my  court  terrifies  me. 
I  am.  afraid  to  accept  an  invitation  to  dine  abroad,  being  al 
most  sure  of  meeting  with  some  officer  or  officer's  friend, 
who,  as  soon  as  I  am  put  in  good  humor  by  a  glass  or  two  of 
champagne,  begins  his  attack  upon  me." 

At  last,  indignant,  he  drew  up  a  model  of  a 
letter  of  recommendation,  which  his  grandson, 
William  Temple  Franklin,  says  he  actually  em 
ployed  in  some  instances : 

"  SIB:  The  bearer  of  this,  who  is  going  to  America,  presses 
me  to  give  him  a  letter  of  recommendation,  though  I  know 
nothing  of  him,  not  even  his  name.  This  may  seem  extra 
ordinary,  but  I  assure  you  it  is  not  uncommon  here.  Some 
times,  indeed,  one  unknown  person  brings  another  equally 
unknown,  to  recommend  him ;  and  sometimes  they  recom 
mend  one  another!  As  to  this  gentleman,  I  must  refer  you 
to  himself  for  his  character  and  merits,  with  which  he  is 
certainly  better  acquainted  than  I  can  possibly  be.  I  recom 
mend  him,  however,  to  those  civilities  which  every  stranger, 
of  whom  one  knows  no  harm,  has  a  light  to ;  and  I  request 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN    FBANKLIN.  341 

you  will  do  him  all  the  good  offices,  and  show  him  all  the 
favor  that,  on  further  acquaintance,  you  should  find  him  to 
deserve.  I  have  the  honor  to  be,  etc." 

Of  course,  there  were  honorable  exceptions, 
where  a  letter  to  Congress  was  most  cordially 
given,  like  the  following : 

"  The  Marquis  de  Lafayette,  a  young  nobleman  of  great 
family  connections  here,  and  great  wealth,  is  gone  to  Amer 
ica  in  a  ship  of  his  own,  accompanied  by  some  officers  of 
distinction,  in  order  to  serve  in  our  armies.  He  is  exceed 
ingly  beloved,  and  everybody's  good  wishes  attend  him.  • 

•  *  He  has  left  a  beautiful  young  wife,  and,  for  her  sake 
particularly,  we  hope  that  his  bravery  and  ardent  desire  to 
distinguish  himself  will  be  a  little  restrained  by  the  general's 
prudence,  so  as  not  to  permit  his  being  hazarded  much,  ex 
cept  on  some  important  occasion." 

During  the  campaign  of  1776,  the  Americans 
sustained  discouraging  defeats,  which  indisposed 
the  French  government  to  take  any  steps  towards 
an  open  alliance  with  the  new  nation.  This  was 
thought  a  favorable  opportunity  for  England  to 
urge  anew  the  question  of  reconciliation  on  the 
basis  of  submission  to  the  crown.  Edmund 
Burke,  in  a  letter  to  the  Marquis  of  Rocking- 
ham,  January,  1777,  said: 

"  He  believed  Dr.  Franklin  had  come  to  France,  for  the 
purpose  of  effecting  such  a  negotiation  in  case  that  nation 
declined  its  aid. 

"  This  I  take  to  be  his  errand;  for  I  never  can  believe  that 
he  has  come  hither  as  a  fugitive  from  his  cause  in  the  hour 
of  its  distress,  or  that  he  is  going  to  conclude  a  long  life, 
which  has  brightened  every  hour  it  has  continued,  with  so 
foul  and  dishonorable  a  flight." 


342  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN. 

No,  surely ;  nor  by  "  foul  and  dishonorable  " 
submission  to  England.  He  was  waiting  in  anx 
ious,  but  certain  expectation  of  better  tidings 
from  home.  That  very  year  General  Burgoyne 
was  captured,  and  other  successes  followed. 
Phialdelpbia,  indeed,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
Britsh,  but  that  did  not  dishearten  Franklin. 
"  General  Howe  has  taken  Philadelphia,"  some 
one  said  to  him.  "  You  are  mistaken,"  he  re 
plied  ;  "  Philadelphia  has  taken  General  Howe ;  " 
which  proved  true,  for  his  troops  were  virtually 
imprisoned  there  for  eight  months,  and  then  es 
caped  by  a  precipitate  retreat.  Franklin's  son- 
in-law,  Mr.  Bache,  having  returned  to  the  city, 
after  this  event,  wrote : 

"  I  found  your  house  and  furniture  in  much  better  order 
than  I  had  reason  to  expect.  They  carried  off  some  of  your 
musical  instruments,  a  Welsh  harp,  a  bell  harp,  the  set  of 
tuned  bells,  which  were  in  a  box,  a  viola  a  gamba,  all  the 
spare  Armonica  glasses,  and  one  or  two  of  the  spare  cases. 
Tour  Armonica  is  safe.  They  took,  likewise,  the  few  books 
that  were  left  behind.  Some  of  your  electrical  apparatus 
is  also  missing.  A  Captain  Andre  took  with  him  the  picture 
of  you,  which  hung  in  the  dining-room.  The  rest  of  the 
pictures  are  safe." 

Franklin  seized  the  favorable  opportunity  to 
urge  upon  the  French  government  an  open  es 
pousal  of  the  American  cause.  On  the  6th  of 
February,  1778,  two  treaties  of  alliance  and 
commerce  were  concluded,  and  the  United 
States  were  recognized  as  an  independent  na 
tion.  Franklin  and  his  brother  commissioners 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN    FKANKLIN.  343 

were   formally   introduced  to   the   king.      But 
Franklin  was  the  centre  of  attraction. 

"  He  was  accompanied  and  followed,"  says  a  French  his 
torian,  "by  a  great  number  of  Americans,  and  individuals 
from  various  countries,  whom  curiosity  had  drawn  together. 
His  age,  his  venerable  aspect,  the  simplicity  of  his  dress, 
everything  fortunate  and  remarkable  in  the  life  of  this 
American,  contributed  to  excite  public  attention.  The 
clapping  of  hands,  and  other  expressions  of  joy,  indicated 
that  warmth  of  enthusiasm  which  the  French  are  more  sus 
ceptible  of  than  other  people.  •  •  •  After  this  audience, 
he  crossed  the  court  on  his  way  to  the  office  of  the  minister 
of  foreign  affairs.  The  multitude  waited  for  him  in  the  pas 
sage,  and  greeted  him  with  their  acclamations.  He  met  with 
a  similar  reception,  wherever  he  appeared  in  Paris."* 

»  Sparks,  I.,  435- 


344  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN. 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

France  Prepares  for    War.  — Another  Trial  to 
effect  American  Submission.  —  David  Hartley. 

—  Bribes.  —  Franklin's    Official  Associates.  — 
Deane.  —  Lee.  —  Adams.  —  Franklin   Chosen 
Minister  Plenipotentiary.  — Adams  Returns  to 
America.  —  Family   Correspondence.  —  Letter 

from  Mrs.  Mecom.  —  John  Hancock.  —  State  of 
Affairs  in  New  England.  —  Letter  from  Mrs. 
Bache.  —  A  Granddaughter.  —  Prices  in  Phil 
adelphia.  —  Letter  from  Mrs.  Partridge.  — 
His  Picture.  —  Letter  from  Mrs.  Bache.  — 
Cost  of  Gloves.  — Cost  of  Living.  — The  French 
Minister.  —  General  and  Mrs.  Washington.  — 
Anecdote  of  Little  Ben.  — Prayer  io  Hercules. 
-  Franklin's  Reply.  —  Medallions  of  Frank- 
tin.  —  Jfis  Popularity  in  France.  —  Spinning. 

—  Reproves  his  Daughter.  —  Plan  for  Remov- 

—  ing    Temple    Franklin  from   his    Office.  — 
Franklin's  Enemies.  —  Letter  from   Franklin. 
— His    Grandson.  —  Ben.    Bache.  —  Hercules. 

—  Black  Pins    and    Feathers.  —  Lecture    on 
Economy. — Message    to   General    Washington. 

—  Letter  to  John  Jay. — Luxury. — His  Daugh 
ter's  Reply.  —Defends  herself  from  the  Charge 
of  Extravagance.  —  Depreciated   Currency.  — 
Letter  from    Mrs.    Mecom.— Another  Letter. 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN.  345 

—  Crown  Soap. —  Captain  Cook. — Moravian 
Missionaries.  —  Philosophical  Researches.  — 
Aurora  Borealis. 

THE  recognition  of  American  independence 
by  France,  was,  of  course,  a  declaration  of  war 
against  England,  and  preparations  for  hostilities 
were  immediately  made  by  the  Court  of  Ver 
sailles.  Even  this,  however,  did  not  deter  the 
English  government  from  an  attempt  to  tamper 
with  the  American  commissioners.  They  were 
approached  by  various  persons,  some  of  them  the 
sincere  friends  of  peace,  others  the  mere  instru 
ments  of  British  arrogance,  to  ascertain  whether 
they  might  not  be  brought  over  to  the  side  of 
England.  David  Hartley  significantly  advised 
Franklin  to  "  take  care  of  his  own  safety." 
Another  agent  of  the  government,  under  an  as 
sumed  name,  tried  the  effect  of  promises  of 
"  places,  pensions  and  peerages."  Franklin  saw 
that  here  was  an  attempt  at  corruption,  and  he 
replied  with  honest  indignation.  John  Adams, 
now  Commissioner  in  the  place  of  Silas  Deane, 
who  had  been  recalled,  showed  that  he  was  pos 
sessed  of  the  same  stern  integrity  with  his  col 
league.  They  became  "  convinced  "  that  these 
singular  endeavors  to  corrupt  them,  or  win  them 
over  to  peace  with  England,  were  really  the 
consequence  of  her  own  alarm.  Botli  parties  in 
England  were  "  perplexed  with  the  present  sit 
uation  of  affairs,  and  knew  not  which  way  to 
turn  themselves,  or  whether  it  were  best  to  go 
backward  or  forward,  or  what  steps  to  take  to 


346  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

extricate  the  nation  from  its  present  dangerous' 
situation." 

Franklin  was  unfortunate  in  the  persons  with 
whom  he  was  associated  in  the  commission  to 
France.  The  course  pursued  by  Deane  produced 
great  dissatisfaction  at  home  ;  and  that  he  was 
not  a  true  patriot  is  proved  by  his  afterwards 
associating  himself  with  "  his  friend,"  Arnold  the 
traitor.  Lee  was  of  a  jealous  disposition  ;  he 
quarreled  with  Deane,  and  sought  to  destroy 
Franklin's  influence.  John  Adams  was  an  ar 
dent  and  upright  patriot,  but  he  was  impulsive, 
and  did  not  wholly  approve  of  the  methods  pur 
sued  by  his  venerable  colleague.  It  was  a  happy 
agreement  among  the  several  representatives  of 
America,  when  they  united  in  advising  Congress 
to  appoint  a  minister  plenipotentiary  in  place  of 
the  triple  commission.  Franklin  was  chosen  to 
that  high  office ;  Adams  gracefully  acquiesced 
in  the  appointment,  and  soon  returned  to  Amer 
ica,  Lee  being  continued  as  envoy  to  Spain. 
The  new  minister  delivered  his  credentials  into 
"  his  Majesty's  own  hands,  who,  in  the  most  gra 
cious  manner,  expressed  his  satisfaction."  This 
was  in  the  summer  of  1779 

While  Franklin  was  engaged  in  the  arduous 
duty  of  providing  money  and  other  substantial 
aid  for  his  country  during  the  war  of  indepen 
dence,  he  kept  up  a  family  correspondence, 
which  brings  out  interesting  traits  of  his  charac 
ter,  and  the  spirit  of  the  times.  We  learn,  also, 
tiie  extreme  depreciation  of  the  currency. 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  34T 

Mrs.  Mecom,  writing  from  Warwick,  August 
15,  1778,  informs  him  that 

"  Mr.  Hancock  heads  an  independent  company  from  Bos 
ton,  of  which  it  is  said  there  is  not  a  man  among  them  worth 
less  than  ten  thousand  pounds  sterling." 

She  also  tells  him  that 

"  They  asked  her  six  dollars  for  a  pair  of  shoes,  such  as 
she  used  to  buy  for  half  a  dollar  a  pair  by  the  dozen  in  Bos 
ton.  I  have  lived,"  she  adds,  "inconstant  jeopardy  since 
the  spring,  when  my  children  removed  from  Coventry  to 
this  place,  where  we  are  much  exposed,  and  have  been  un 
der  constant  apprehension." 

"  His  daughter,  Mrs.  Bache,  writes  from  Phil 
adelphia,  October  22,  of  the  same  year,  to  her 
"Dear  and  Honored  Sir,"  that  they  had  been 
compelled  to  flee  from  the  city,  four  days  after 
the  birth  of  her  little  girl  — 

"A  fine  brown  lass;  but  her  sparkling  black  eyes  make  up 
for  her  skin,  and  when  in  health  she  has  a  good  color.  I 
would  give  a  good  deal  if  you  could  see  her;  you  can't  think 
how  fond  of  kissing  she  is,  and  gives  such  old-fashioned 
smacks,  General  Arnold  [ !  ]  says  he  would  give  a  good  deal 
to  have  her  for  a  school-mistress  to  teach  the  young  ladies 
how  to  kiss. 

"I  should  tell  you,"  she  adds,  "that  I  had  seven  table 
cloths  of  my  own  spinning.  •  *  *  I  find  them  very  use 
ful,  and  they  look  very  well." 

What  follows  shows  the  dire  extremity  to 
which  the  ladies  at  that  time  were  reduced : 

"  They  ask  me  six  dollars  for  a  pair  of  gloves,  and  I  have 
been  obliged  to  pay  fifteen  pounds  fifteen  shillings  for  a  com- 


348  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

mon  calamanco  petticoat  without  quilting,  that  I  once  could 
have  got  for  fifteen  shillings.  I  buy  nothing  but  what  I 
really  want,  and  wore  out  my  silk  ones  before  I  got  this.  I 
do  not  mention  these  things  by  way  of  complaint;  *  •  • 
I  find  I  can  go  without  many  things  I  once  thought  abso 
lutely  necessary." 

She  then  tells  him  —  good  patriot  that  she  is 
—  that  Mr.  Bache  would  not  allow  their  little 
son  Ben  to  go  to  the  Academy  (in  the  city), 
because  the  trustees  were  almost  all  tories,  but 
had  sent  him  to  a  German  school,  in  Lancaster 
County,  where  he  had  learned  to  speak  German. 

Mrs.  Partridge,  step-daughter  of  Franklin's 
brother  John,  writing  from  Boston,  two  days 
later,  pours  out  her  heart  as  follows : 

"  HON'D  AND  EVEB  DEAR  PAPA: 

"  I  love,  I  almost  adore  the  French  ladies  for  their  kind 
ness  to  you ;  but  let  me  entreat  you,  my  dear  papa,  not  to  let 
that  influence  you  to  stay  one  day  longer  in  France  than  the 
service  of  your  country  requires ;  believe  me,  there  are  hun 
dreds  here  as  agreeable,  that  are  impatient  to  render  you 
every  service.  I  have  one  very  amiable  girl  that,  with  her 
mamma,  longs  to  see  and  converse  with  you." 

She  closes,  with  begging  him  to  send  her  his 
picture  or  miniature,  to  wear  on  her  neck. 

In  due  tune  came  the  "  resemblance,"  which, 
in  her  letter  of  acknowledgment,  she  wishes  had 
been  "colored,  as  the  paleness  of  the  counte 
nance  gave  her  melancholy  ideas.  But,"  she 
adds, 

"I  pressed  the  dear  image  close  up  to  my  face, 
And  wished  the  original  were  in  its  place." 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  349 

She  then  informs  him  that  one  of  her  brothers 
is  "on  the  verge  of  matrimony,  with  a  very 
agreeable  widow,"  and  that  another  lives  sin 
gle  yet,  and  she  fears  will  "  die  the  half  of  the 
scissors." 

The  following  letter  from  Mrs.  Bache,  written 
from  Philadelphia,  Jan.  17th,  1779,  reveals  the 
affectionate  and  grateful  daughter,  and  shows 
that  her  father  was  not  insensible  to  her  touch 
ing  allusion  to  the  high  cost  of  gloves.  After 
acknowledging  the  receipt  of  "  six  pairs  of 
gloves,  nine  papers  of  needles,  a  bundle  of 
thread,  and  five  papers  of  pins,"  she  says  she 
suspects,  as  the  bundle  came  opened,  that  some 
thing  had  been  taken  out,  but  she  adds  :  "  But 
what  I  have  received  makes  me  rich."  "  It 
takes  a  fortune,"  she  further  says,  "  to  feed  a 
family  in  a  very  plain  way."  She  informs  him 
that  a  pair  of  gloves  costs  seven  dollars,  one  yard 
of  common  gauze  twenty-four  dollars ;  and  yet, 
she  adds : 

"  There  never  was  so  much  dressing  and  pleasure  going 
on;  old  friends  meeting  again,  the  Whigs  in  high  spirits,  and 
strangers  of  distinction  among  us.  *  •  *  The  [French] 
minister  was  kind  enough  to  offer  me  some  fine  white  flan 
nel,  and  has  spared  me  eight  yards." 

This  was  because  she  was  Franklin's  daugh 
ter.  She  proudly  adds : 

"  I  shall  have  great  pride  in  wearing  anything  you  send, 
and  showing  it  as  my  father's  taste.  I  have  dined  at  the 
minister's,  •  •  •  and  have  lately  been  several  times  in 
vited  abroad  with  the  General  and  Mrs.  Washington.  He 


350          LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  FBANKLIN. 

always  inquires  after  you  in  the  most  affectionate  manner, 
and  speaks  of  you  highly.  We  dined  at  Mrs.  Powell's  your 
birthday,  or  night,  I  should  say,  in  company  together,  and 
he  told  me  it  was  the  anniversary  of  his  marriage ;  it  was 
just  twenty  years  that  night. 

"My  boy  and  girl  are  in  health;  the  latter  has  ten  teeth, 
can  dance,  sing,  and  make  faces,  though  she  cannot  talk,  ex 
cept  the  words  no  and  be  done,  which  she  makes  great  use 
of.  She  is  Ben  over  again,  except  a  larger  mouth.  How 
happy  I  should  be  to  see  her  seated  on  your  knee !  She  is 
just  such  a  plaything  as  Will  was  when  you  came  home 
last.  I  must  tell  you  a  little  anecdote  of  him,  and  ask  you 
if  it  is  not  time  to  teach  him  a  little  religion.  He  had  heard 
a  foolish  girl  that  lived  with  me  say  there  was  a  death-watch 
in  the  room,  and  one  of  the  family  would  soon  die.  He  had 
not  been  long  in  bed  before  he  came  down  in  his  shirt, 
screaming.  I  soon  sent  him  up,  and,  asking  him  in  the 
morning  how  he  could  behave  so,  and  what  was  the  matter, 
he  told  me  he  thought  death  was  coming.  *  I  was  so  fright 
ened,'  says  he,  'that  I  sweat  all  over,  and  I  jumped  out  of 
bed  and  prayed  up  to  Hercules.'  I  asked  him  what  he  said. 
Down  he  went  on  his  knees,  with  uplifted  hands  (think  I 
never  saw  such  a  picture  of  desolation),  and  repeated  the 
Lord's  prayer.  Now,  whether  it  is  best  to  instruct  him  in  a 
little  religion,  or  let  him  pray  a  little  longer  to  Hercules,  I 
should  be  glad  to  have  your  opinion. 

•  •  •  •  "  I  have  a  piece  of  American  silk,  which  I  shall 
send  to  you  for  the  Queen.  It  will  make  me  happy  if  she 
condescends  to  wear  it." 

To  this,  her  father  replied,  June  3d : 

"  The  clay  medallion  of  me  you  say  you  gave  to  Mr.  Hop- 
kinson  was  the  first  of  the  kind  made  in  France.  A  variety 
of  others  have  been  made  since  of  different  sixes ;  some  to 
be  set  in  the  lids  of  snuff-boxes,  and  some  so  small  as  to  be 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FEANKLIN.  351 

worn  in  rings ;  and  the  numbers  sold  are  incredible.  These, 
with  the  pictures,  busts  and  prints  (of  which  copies  upon 
copies  are  spread  everywhere),  have  made  your  father's  face 
as  well  known  as  that  of  the  moon,  so  that  he  durst  not  do 
anything  that  would  oblige  him  to  run  away,  as  his  phiz 
would  discover  him  wherever  he  should  venture  to  show  it. 
It  is  said  by  learned  etymologists,  that  the  name  doll,  for  the 
images  children  play  with,  is  derived  from  the  word  IDOL. 
From  the  number  of  dolls  now  made  of  him,  he  may  be 
truly  said,  in  that  sense,  to  be  i-doll-ized  in  this  country. 

"  I  think  you  did  right  to  stay  out  of  town  till  the  summer 
was  over,  for  the  sake  of  your  child's  health.  I  hope  you 
will  get  out  again  this  summer  during  the  hot  months ;  for 
I  begin  to  love  the  dear  little  creature  from  your  description 
of  her. 

"  I  was  charmed  with  the  account  you  gave  me  of  your 
own  spinning,  etc. ;  but  the  latter  part  of  the  paragraph,  that 
you  had  sent  for  linen  from  France  because  weaving  and  flay, 
were  grown  dear,  alas  I  that  dissolved  the  charm ;  and  your 
sending  for  long  black  pins,  and  lace,  and  feathers,  disgusted 
me  as  much  as  if  you  had  put  salt  into  my  strawberries. 
The  spinning,  I  see,  is  laid  aside,  and  you  are  to  be  dressed 
for  the  ball  I  You  seem  not  to  know,  my  dear  daughter, 
that,  of  all  things  in  the  world,  idleness  is  the  dearest,  ex 
cept  mischief. 

"  The  project  you  mention,  of  removing  Temple  from  me, 
was  an  unkind  one.  To  deprive  an  old  man,  sent  to  serve 
his  country  in  a  foreign  one,  of  the  comfort  of  a  child  to  at 
tend  him,  to  assist  him  in  health,  and  take  care  of  him  in 
sickness,  would  be  cruel,  if  it  was  practicable.  In  this  case 
it  could  not  be  done;  for,  as  the  pretended  suspicions  of  him 
are  groundless,  and  his  behavior  in  every  respect  unexcept 
ionable,  I  should  not  part  with  the  child,  but  with  the  em 
ployment.  But  I  am  confident  that,  whatever  may  be  pro- 


352  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN. 

posed  by  weak  or  malicious  people,  the  Congress  is  too  wist 
and  too  good  to  think  of  treating  me  in  that  manner." 

It  appears  from  a  letter  written  the  day  before 
to  Mr.  Bache,  that  "  a  cabal "  had  been  formed 
by  enemies  at  home,  for  removing  his  grandson, 
William  Temple  Franklin,  from  his  office  of  sec 
retary,  on  the  ground  that  he  was  the  son  of  a 
tory  father;  for  William  Franklin,  the  gov 
ernor,  had  gone  over  to  the  English,  and  was  the 
enemy  of  American  independence.  This  was  no 
fault  of  Doctor  Franklin,  and  no  reason  why  the 
sin  of  the  son  should  be  visited  upon  the  father 
and  the  grandson.  But  malicious  partisans  laid 
hold  of  it  to  Franklin's  injury.  When  informed 
of  it,  he  said,  in  the  letter  just  referred  to : 

"  I  am  surprised  to  hear  that  my  grandson,  Temple  Frank 
lin,  being  with  me,  should  be  an  objection  against  me.  •  * 
Methinks  it  is  rather  some  merit,  that  I  have  rescued  a  valu- 
uable  young  man  from  the  danger  of  being  a  Tory,  and  fixed 
him  in  honest,  republican,  Whig  principles ;  as  I  think,  from 
the  integrity  of  his  disposition,  his  industry,  his  early  sagac 
ity,  and  uncommon  abilities  for  business,  he  may  in  time  be 
come  of  great  service  to  his  country.  It  is  enough  that  I 
have  lost  my  son;  would  they  add  my  grandson?  An  old 
man  of  seventy,  I  undertook  a  winter  voyage  at  the  com 
mand  of  the  Congress  and  in  the  public  service,  with  no 
other  attendant  to  take  care  of  me.  I  am  continued  here  in 
a  foreign  country,  where,  if  I  am  sick,  his  filial  attention 
comforts  me,  and,  if  I  die,  I  have  a  child  to  close  my  eyes, 
and  take  care  of  my  remains.  His  dutiful  behavior  towards 
me,  and  his  diligence  and  fidelity  in  business,  are  both  pleas 
ing  and  useful  to  me.  His  conduct,  as  my  private  secretary, 
has  been  unexceptionable,  and  I  am  confident  the  Congress 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  353 

will  never  think  of  separating  us.  I  have  had  a  great  deal 
of  pleasure  in  Ben,*  too.  He  is  a  good,  honest  lad,  and  will 
make,  I  think,  a  valuable  man." 

To  return  to  the  letter  to  Mrs.  Bache  : 

"Ben*,  if  I  should  live  long  enough  to  want  it,  is  like  to 
be  another  comfort  to  me.  As  I  intend  him  for  a  Presby 
terian  as  well  as  a  Kepublican,  I  have  sent  him  to  finish  his 
education  at  Geneva.  He  is  much  grown,  in  very  good 
health,  draws  a  little,  as  you  will  see  by  the  enclosed,  learns 
Latin,  writing,  arithmetic,  and  dancing,  and  speaks  French 
better  than  English.  •  •  *  He  has  not  been  long  from 
me.  I  send  the  accounts  I  have  of  him,  and  I  shall  put  him 
in  mind  of  writing  to  you.  I  cannot  propose  to  you  to  part 
with  your  own  dear  Will  t.  I  must  one  of  these  days  go 
back  to  see  him ;  happy  to  be  once  more  all  together!  but 
futurities  are  uncertain.  Teach  him,  however,  in  the  mean 
time,  to  direct  his  worship  more  properly,  for  the  deity  of 
Hercules  is  now  quite  out  of  fashion.  *  •  * 

"  When  I  began  to  read  your  account  of  the  high  prices 
of  goods,  '  a  pair  of  gloves  seven  dollars,  a  yard  of  common 
gauze  twenty-four  dollars,  and  that  it  now  required  a  for 
tune  to  maintain  a  family  in  a  very  plain  way,'  I  expected 
you  would  conclude  with  telling  me  that  every  lady  as  well 
as  yourself  was  grown  frugal  and  industrious ;  and  I  could 
scarce  believe  my  eyes  in  reading  forward,  that  '  there  never 
was  so  much  pleasure  and  dressing  going  on ;'  and  that  you 
yourself  wanted  black  pins  and  feathers  from  France  to  ap 
pear,  I  suppose,  in  the  mode !  This  leads  me  to  imagine 
that  perhaps  it  is  not  so  much  that  the  goods  are  grown  dear, 
as  that  the  money  has  grown  cheap,  as  everything  else  will 
do  when  excessively  plenty ;  and  that  people  are  still  as  easy 
nearly  in  their  circumstances,  as  when  a  pair  of  gloves 

*  Mr.  Bache's  oldest  son. 
t  A  younger  son  of  Mr.  Bache, 


354  LIFE   OF   BENJAMEST   FBANKLEST. 

might  be  had  for  half  a  crown.  The  war  may  indeed  in 
some  degree  raise  the  prices  of  goods,  and  the  high  taxes 
which  are  necessary  to  support  the  war  may  make  our  fru 
gality  necessary;  and,  as  I  am  always  preaching  that  doc 
trine,  I  cannot  in  conscience  or  in  decency  encourage  the 
contrary,  by  my  example,  by  furnishing  my  children  with 
foolish  modes  and  luxuries.  I  therefore  send  all  the  arti 
cles  you  desire,  that  are  useful  and  necessary,  and  omit  the 
rest;  for,  as  you  say  you  should  'have  great  pride  in  wear 
ing  anything  I  send,  and  showing  it  as  your  father's  taste,' 
I  must  avoid  giving  you  an  opportunity  of  doing  that  with 
either  lace  or  feathers.  If  you  wear  your  cambric  ruffles  as 
I  do,  and  take  care  not  to  mend  the  holes,  they  will  come  in 
time  to  be  lace ;  and  feathers,  my  dear  girl,  may  be  had  in 
America  from  every  cock's  tail. 

"If  you  happen  again  to  see  General  Washington,  assure 
him  of  my  very  great  and  sincere  respect,  and  tell  him,  that 
all  the  old  generals  here  amuse  themselves  in  studying  the 
accounts  of  his  operations,  and  approve  highly  of  his  con 
duct. 

"  Present  my  affectionate  regards  to  all  friends  that  in 
quire  after  me,  •  •  •  and  write  oftener,  my  dear  child, 
to  your  loving  father." 

If  there  is  seemingly  undue  severity  in  this 
letter,  an  excuse  may  perhaps  be  found  in  what 
he  wrote  to  John  Jay  that  same  year : 

"  The  extravagant  luxury  of  our  country,  in  the  midst  of 
all  its  distresses,  is  to  me  amazing.  When  the  difficulties 
are  so  great  to  find  remittances  to  pay  for  the  arms  and  am 
munition  necessary  for  our  defence,  I  am  astonished  and 
vexed  to  find  upon  inquiry,  that  much  the  greatest  part  of 
the  Congress  interest  bills  came  to  pay  for  tea,  and  a  great 
part  of  the  remainder  is  ordered  to  be  laid  out  in  gewgaws 
and  superfluities." 


LIFE  OF    BENJAMIN    FKANKLIN.  355 

The  daughter  replied  in  September  following. 
After  telling  her  father  that  she  had  sent  a  box 
of  squirrel  skins  to  Temple,  and  a  piece  of 
homespun  silk,  which  she  had  long  wished  to 
send  him  for  the  Queen,  "  whose  character,"  she 
says,  4;  I  admire,"  she  comes  to  the  charge  of 
extravagance  brought  against  her ;  and  here 
she  shows  herself  as  skilful  a  diplomatist  in  her 
line  as  her  father  did  in  his : 

"  How  could  my  dear  papa,"  she  asks  with  charming  in 
nocence,  "  give  me  so  severe  a  reprimand  for  wishing  a  little 
finery?  he  would  not,  I  am  sure,  if  he  knew  how  much  I 
have  felt  it.  Last  winter  was  a  season  of  triumph  to  the 
Whigs,  and  they  spent  it  gaily;  you  would  not  have  had  me, 
I  am  sure,  stay  away  from  the  Ambassador's  or  Gerards's 
entertainments,  nor  when  I  was  invited  to  spend  the  day 
with  General  Washington  and  his  lady,  and  you  would  have 
been  the  last  person,  I  am  sure,  to  have  wished  to  see  me 
dressed  with  singularity;  though  I  never  loved  dress  so  much 
as  to  wish  to  be  particularly  fine,  yet  I  never  will  go  out 
when  I  cannot  appear  so  as  to  do  credit  to  my  family  and 
husband.  •  *  •  *  I  can  assure  my  dear  papa,  that  in 
dustry  in  this  house  is  by  no  means  laid  aside;  but  as  to 
spinning  linen,  we  cannot  think  of  that  till  we  have  got  that 
wove  which  we  spun  three  years  ago." 

She  tells  him  she  had  tried  three  weavers  in 
vain ;  that  a  friend  had  bribed  a  weaver  living 
on  his  farm  to  weave  her  eighteen  yards,  keep 
ing  it  a  secret  from  the  country  people,  who 
would  not  suffer  them  to  weave  for  those  in  town ; 
and  that  no  weaving  is  done  but  for  hard  money. 

"  My  maid,"  she  adds,  "is  now  spinning  wool  for  winter 
stockings  for  the  whole  family,  which  will  be  no  difficulty 


356  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

in  the  manufacturing,  as  I  knit  them  myself.  I  only  men 
tion  these  things  that  you  may  see  that  the  balls  are  not  the 
only  reason  that  the  wheel  is  laid  aside.  I  did  not  mention 
the  feathers  and  pins  as  necessaries  of  life,  as  my  papa  seems 
to  think.  I  meant  that  as  common  necessaries  were  so  dear, 
I  could  not  afford  to  get  anything  that  was  not,  and  begged 
he  would  send  me  a  few  of  the  others ;  nor  should  I  have 
had  such  wishes,  but  being  in  constant  hope  that  things 
would  soon  return  to  their  former  channel.  I  kept  up  my 
spirits,  and  wished  to  mix  with  the  world ;  but  that  hope 
with  me  is  now  entirely  over,  and  this  winter  approaches 
with  so  many  horrors,  that  I  shall  not  want  anything  to  go 
abroad  in,  if  I  can  be  comfortable  at  home.  My  spirits, 
which  I  have  kept  up  during  my  being  drove  about  from 
place  to  place,  much  better  than  most  people's  I  have  met 
with,  have  been  lowered  by  nothing  but  the  depreciation  of 
the  money,  which  has  been  amazing  lately,  so  that  home 
will  be  the  place  for  me  this  winter,  as  I  cannot  get  a  com 
mon  winter  cloak  and  hat,  but  just  decent,  under  two  hun 
dred  pounds:  as  to  gauze,  now  it  is  fifty  dollars  a  yard,  'tis 
beyond  my  wish,  and  I  should  think  it  not  only  a  shame  but 
a  sin  to  buy  it,  if  I  had  millions.  I  should  be  contented 
with  muslin  caps  if  I  could  procure  them  in  the  winter, —  in 
the  summer  I  went  without;  as  to  cambric  I  have  none  to 
make  lace  of." 

We  have  no  record  of  any  reply  to  this  ingen 
ious  and  pathetic  defence,  but  we  are  quite  sure 
it  must  have  brought  the  father  to  terms,  and 
secured  the  remittance  of  the  pins  and  feathers. 

Amidst  the  cares  of  office  and  the  "  cabals  " 
of  malicious  partisans,  it  must  have  been  a  great 
comfort  to  receive  such  a  letter  as  the  following, 
from  his  sister,  Mrs.  Mecom,  dated  Warwick, 
February  14,  1779 : 


LIFE   OF   BEKJAMIK    FP.ANKLIK.  357 

"  MY  DEAR,  DEAR  BROTHER.     •    •    •    • 

"Myself  and  children  have  always  been  a  heavy  tax  upon 
you,  but  your  great  and  uncommon  goodness  has  carried 
you  cheerfully  on  under  it,  and  we  have  all  along  enjoyed 
many  of  the  comforts  of  life  through  your  bounty  we  must 
otherwise  have  done  without."  And  she  touchingly  adds: 
"  It  has  pleased  God  to  diminish  us  fast  and  thereby  your 
expenses  and  care  of  us.  *  •  •  •  It  has  now  pleased  God 
to  take  poor  Peter.  His.  mouth  was  opened  just  before  his 
death  to  commend  himself  to  the  mercy  of  God,  and  with  a 
blessing  on  those  about  him,  he  sunk  into  eternity  without 
a  groan.  •  •  «  • 

"  I  do  not  take  pleasure  in  giving  you  an  uneasy  thought, 
but  it  gives  some  relief  to  unbosom  one's  self  to  a  dear 
friend,  as  you  have  been  to  me.  Father,  husband,  brother, 
and  children,  may  I  not  live  to  be  deprived  of  all  in  you, 
but  you  live  to  see  the  happiness  of  your  children's  children 
confirmed,  and  a  happy  peace  in  America,  prays 

"YOUR  AFFECTIONATE  SISTER." 

Another  letter  and  almost  the  last  one  we 
have  from  her,  breathes  a  spirit  of  most  sisterly 
affection,  and  proves  how  sincere  and  abiding 
was  his  affection  for  her : 

"DEAR  BROTHER: 

"I  have  after  a  long  year  received  your  kind  letter  of 
Nov.  26th,  1778,  wherein  you,  like  yourself,  do  all  for  me 
that  the  most  affectionate  brother  can  be  desired  or  expected 
to  do,  and  though  I  feel  myself  full  of  gratitude  for  your 
generosity,  the  conclusion  of  your  letter  affects  me  more, 
where  you  say  you  wish  we  may  spend  our  last  days  together. 
O  my  dear  brother,  if  this  could  be  accomplished,  it  would  give 
me  more  joy  than  anything  on  this  side  Heaven  could  possi 
bly  do." 


358  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FKANKLIN. 

She  then  speaks  of  uthe  awe  of  his  superi 
ority  preventing  the  familiarity  she  might  have 
taken  with  him,"  but  thinks  she  could  now  take 
more  freedom.  She  hopes  soon  to  send  him 
"some  crown  soap,"  as  soon  as  some  "  new  wax 
comes  in,  after  the  frost."  Unfortunately  she 
has  "  no  instruments  to  stamp  the  soap,"  which 
she  hopes  will  not  "depreciate  its  value." 

From  such  private  concerns,  he  turned  to  do 
a  generous  deed  in  the  interests  of  science.  The 
war  was  going  on  with  England,  but  Captain 
Cook,  the  great  navagitor  and  discoverer,  being 
now  on  his  return  home,  Franklin  directed  the 
American  cruisers,  should  they  fall  in  with  him, 
to  "  treat  the  captain  and  his  people  with  civility 
and  kindness,  affording  them,  as  common  friends 
of  mankind,  all  the  assistance  in  their  power.*' 
Which  act  was  gracefully  acknowledged  by  the 
King,  in  a  letter  written  at  his  instance,  and  by 
the  Royal  Society,  by  the  presentation  of  a  gold 
medal. 

He  also  granted,  every  year  during  the  war,  a 
passport  to  the  Moravian  vessel  which  carried 
supplies  from  London  to  the  missionaries  at 
Labrador;  and  also  to  a  vessel  sent  out  from 
Dublin  to  the  West  Indies,  with  provisions  and 
clothing  for  sufferers  there. 

During  the  }rear,  he  also  devoted  some  time 
to  philosophical  researches.  He  prepared  a 
paper  for  the  Royal  Academy  of  Science  at 
Paris,  on  the  Aurora  Borealis,  which  he  as 
cribed  to  the  effect  of  electricity. 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  359 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 

Letter  to  Washington.  —  The  Future  of  America. 

—  Alliance  of  Neutral  Powers. —  Privateering. 

—  Letter   to   Edmund   Burke. —  On    War. — 
Anxious  to  return  Home. — Enemies. — Lettei 
to   John   Adams.  —  Cornwallis'   Surrender.  — 
Treaty  of  Paris.  — Letter  to  Sir  Joseph  Banks. 

—  Letter  from   his    Crrandson.  —  From  Mrs. 
Mecom.  —  Letter  to  Thomas  Brand  Hollis.  — 
Thomas  Hollis. —  Doing  Grood  as  a  Business. — 
"  Gentlemen."  —  Animal    Magnetism.  —  The 
American  Eagle. —  The    Turkey  .—*- Letter  to 
Henry  Lawrence.  — Anticipates  Death.  —  Col- 
umnies.  —  General  and  Particular  Infallibility. 

—  Saying  of  a  French  Lady.  — Letter  to  Mrs. 
Hewson.  —  His  Infirmities. —  Letter  from  Mrs. 
Mecom.  —  His    Son.  —  Letter   to    his    Son.  — 
Treaty  between  Prussia  and  the  United  States. 

—  Washington's   Opinion.  —  Town  Library  in 
Franklin,   Mass.  —  Letter  to  Mr.  Strahan.  — 
Providence.  —  Belief  in  God. 

EARLY  the  next  year,  1780,  in  a  letter  to 
Washington,  Franklin  showed  his  confidence  in 
the  happy  issue  of  the  contest  for  independ 
ence  then  going  on : 

"Tmust  soon  quit  this  scene," — he  was  now 


860  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

four —  "  but  you  may  live  to  see  our  country  flourish,  as  it 
will  amazingly  and  rapidly  after  the  war  is  over;  like  a  field 
of  young  Indian  com,  which  long  fair  weather  and  sun 
shine  had  enfeebled  and  discolored,  and  which  in  that  weak 
state,  by  a  thunder  gust  of  violent  wind,  hail,  and  rain, 
seemed  to  be  threatened  with  absolute  destruction ;  yet  the 
storm  being  past,  it  recovers  fresh  verdure,  shoots  up  with 
double  vigor,  and  delights  the  eye,  not  of  its  owner  only  but 
of  every  observing  traveller." 

The  cause  of  America  was  strengthened  this 
year  by  an  alliance  of  several  neutral  powers,  to 
inaugurate  the  principle,  that  "  free  ships  make 
free  goods."  This  action  checked  the  British 
search  for  contraband  goods  which  she  had  freely 
made  in  the  ships  of  every  country.  Other  na 
tions  indeed  had  practiced  the  same  rule,  but  as 
England  was  the  maritime  superior  among  the 
different  powers,  it  had  caused  great  anno}rance 
to  all  her  neighbors,  and  they  had  resolved  to 
humble  her.  Franklin  fully  approved  of  this 
action,  and  instructed  American  cruisers  to 
bring  in  no  more  neutral  ships,  "  as  such  prizes 
occasion  much  litigation,  and  create  ill  blood." 

•'I  am  not  only,"  he  said,  "for  respecting  the  ships  as  the 
house  of  a  friend,  though  containing  the  goods  of  an  enemy, 
but  I  even  wish,  for  the  sake  of  humanity,  that  the  law  of 
nations  may  be  further  improved,  by  determining,  that, 
even  in  time  of  war,  all  those  kinds  of  people  who  are  em 
ployed  in  procuring  subsistance  for  the  species,  or  in  ex 
changing  the  necessaries  or  conveniencies  of  life,  which  are 
for  the  common  benefit  of  mankind,  such  as  husbandmen 
on  their  lands,  fishermen  in  their  barques,  and  traders  ii\ 
unarmed  vessels,  shall  be  permitted  to  prosecute  their  sev- 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  361 

eral  innocent  and  useful  employments  without  interruption 
or  molestation,  and  nothing  taken  from,  them,  even  when 
wanted  by  an  enemy,  hut  on  paying  a  fair  price  for  the 
same." 

In  a  letter  to  Edmund  Burke,  he  said : 

"  Since  the  foolish  part  of  mankind  will  make  wars  from 
time  to  time  with  each  other,  not  having  sense  enough 
otherwise  to  settle  their  differences,  it  certainly  becomes 
the  wiser  part,  who  cannot  prevent  those  wars,  to  allevi 
ate  as  much  as  possible  the  calamities  attending  them." 

He  went  so  far,  in  his  abhorrence  of  war,  as 
to  say,  that  u  there  never  was  a  good  war,  or  a 
bad  peace." 

Such  sentiments  do  honor  to  the  head  and 
heart  that  prompted  them. 

The  multiplicity  of  his  duties  began  to  wear 
upon  him,  and  made  him  anxious  to  be  released. 

"I  find,"  he  says  early  in  1781,  "the  various  employments 
of  merchant,  banker,  judge  of  admiralty,  consul,  etc.,  etc., 
besides  my  ministerial  function,  too  multifarious  and  too 
heavy  for  my  old  shoulders ;  and  have  therefore  requested 
Congress  that  I  may  be  relieved." 

Another  reason  may  be  found  in  the  persistent 
attempt  of  certain  persons  in  Congress  to  effect 
his  recall.  But  in  place  of  accepting  his  resigna 
tion,  that  body  showed  their  entire  confidence 
in  his  ability  and  integrity,  by  laying  new  bur 
dens  upon  him,  appointing  him  to  be  one  of  five 
commissioners  to  negotiate  a  treaty  of  peace. 
Writing  to  John  Adams,  one  of  his  colleagues, 
he  said,  "  I  esteem  it  an  honor  to  be  joined  with 


362  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN    FEANKLIN. 

you  in  so  important  a  business ;  "  though  at  that 
time  he  had  little  expectation  of  an  early  cessa 
tion  of  hostilities.  A  week  later,  October  19, 
1781,  Cornwallis  surrendered,  and  the  war  was 
virtually  ended,  as  to  its  necessary  result.  Ne 
gotiations  for  peace  were  conducted  by  the 
agents  of  the  several  interested  powers  through 
a  period  of  years,  ending  at  last,  September  3, 
1783,  in  the  Treaty  of  Paris,  by  which  the  inde 
pendence  of  the  United  States  was  fully  ac 
knowledged.  While  the  treaty  was  pending, 
Dr.  Franklin  wrote  to  his  friend  Sir  Joseph 
Banks : 

"  Be  assured,  that  I  long  earnestly  for  a  return  of  those 
peaceful  times,  when  I  could  sit  down  in  sweet  society  with 
my  English  philosophical  friends,  communicating  to  each 
other  new  discoveries,  and  proposing  improvements  of  old 
ones ;  all  tending  to  extend  the  power  of  man  over  matter, 
avert  or  diminish  the  evils  he  is  subject  to,  or  augment  the 
number  of  his  enjoyments.  Much  more  happy  should  I  be 
thus  employed  in  your  most  desirable  company,  than  in  that 
of  all  the  grandees  of  the  earth  projecting  plans  of  mischief, 
however  necessary  they  may  be  supposed  for  obtaining 
greater  good.  •  •  •  • 

"  I  join  with  you  most  perfectly  in  the  charming  wish  you 
so  well  express,  '  that  such  measures  may  be  taken  by  both 
parties  as  may  tend  to  the  elevation  of  both,  rather  than  the 
destruction  of  either.'  If  anything  has  happened  endanger 
ing  one  of  them,  my  comfort  is,  that  I  endeavored  earnestly 
to  prevent  it,  and  gave  honest,  faithful  advice,  which,  if  it 
had  been  regarded,  would  have  been  effectual.  And  still, 
if  proper  means  are  used  to  produce,  not  only  peace,  but 
what  is  much  more  interesting,  a  thorough  reconciliation,  a 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  363 

few  years  may  heal  the  wounds  that  have  been  made  in  our 
happiness,  and  produce  a  degree  of  prosperity  of  which  at 
present  we  can  hardly  form  a  conception." 

While  Franklin  was  engaged  in  the  work  of 
the  commission,  and  the  prospect  was  near  of 
established  peace,  and  of  his  own  return  to 
America,  he  received  from  his  grandson,  master 
William  Bache,  aged  ten  years,  the  following 
important  letter : 

"DEAB  GRANDPAPA: 

"I  embrace  this  opportunity  of  letting  you  know  that 
papa  is  going  to  Passy  to  wait  upon  you  home  to  Philadel 
phia.  My  sister  is  going  to  boarding-school  to  Miss  Beck- 
with.  There  is  a  refugee  row-galley  brought  in  here.  Bob 
says  he  is  very  glad  to  hear  that  you  are  in  a  good  state  of 
health.  There  are  two  French  frigates  going  out  to  fight 
two  British  ones.  I  am  going  to  Latin  school  to-morrow. 
I  hope  that  Benny  can  read  my  letter.  I  see  that  he  can 
write  English.  My  sister  wants  some  babies,  some  gloves, 
and  some  shoes,  and  a  little  sofa  for  her  and  her  baby. 
Please  let  me  know  if  Benny  is  well.  •  *  *  My  mamma 
has  wrote  you  a  letter.  My  papa  and  mamma  received  Ben 
ny's  picture.  The  people  talk  of  peace.  We  had  a  dog 
named  Juno,  but  she  is  lost.  Carlo  is  alive,  but  Pompey  is 
dead.  We  have  a  dog  that  is  Juno's  sister;  her  name  is 
Fanny.  She  is  papa's  favorite  dog,  that  he  takes  a-hunting 
with  him.  She  is  of  the  same  breed  as  Carlo.  Betsy, 
Louis,  Deborah  and  myself  are  very  well,  and  they  send 
their  love  to  you. 

"  I  am,  your  most 

"AFFECTIONATE  GRANDCHILD." 

A  genuine  boy's  letter  ;  and  doubtless  read 
with  more  satisfaction  than  were  many  of  the 


864  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

communications  of  shrewd  but  insincere  politi 
cians  that  he  was  compelled  to  pore  over.  It 
took  his  thoughts  to  the  old  home  he  longed  to 
return  to.  Soon  after,  Mrs.  Mecom  wrote  to 
him  from  Boston,  April  29,  1783  : 

"DEAR  BBOTHEB: 

"I  have  at  length  received  a  letter  from  you  in  your  own 
handwriting,  after  a  total  silence  of  three  years,  in  which 
time  part  of  an  old  song  would  sometimes  intrude  itself  into 
my  mind : 

"  '  Does  he  love  and  yet  forsake  me, 

For 

Can  he  forget  me, 

Will  he  neglect  me  ? ' 

"This  was  but  momentary;  at  other  times  I  concluded  it 
was  unreasonable  to  expect  it,  and  that  you  might  with 
great  propriety,  after  my  teasing  you  so  often,  send  me  the 
answer  that  Nehemiah  did  to  Tobias  and  Sanballat,  who  en 
deavored  to  obstruct  his  rebuilding  the  Temple  of  Jerusa 
lem,  '  I  am  doing  a  great  work.  Why  should  the  work  cease 
whilst  I  leave  it  to  come  down  to  you  ? ' " 

She  then  thanks  him  for  "a  great  bounty," 
and  adds : 

"  I  shall  now  be  so  rich  that  I  may  indulge  in  a  small 
degree  a  propensity  to  help  some  poor  creatures  who  have 
not  the  blessing  I  enjoy." 

In  a  letter  to  Thomas  Brand  Hollis,  written 
about  a  month  after  the  Paris  Treaty,  acknowl 
edging  the  receipt  of  the  Memoirs  of  Thomas 
Hollis,  he  speaks  thus  of  that  distinguished  bene 
factor  of  Harvard  College : 

"America  is  extremely  sensible  of  his  benevolence  and 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  365 

great  beneficence  towards  her,  and  will  ever  revere  his  mem 
ory.  These  volumes  [of  Memoirs]  are  a  proof  of  what  I 
have  sometimes  had  occasion  to  say,  in  encouraging  people 
to  undertake  difficult  public  services,  that  it  is  prodigious 
the  quantity  of  good  that  may  be  done  by  one  man,  if  he 
will  make  a  business  of  it.  It  is  equally  surprising  to  think 
of  the  very  little  that  is  done  by  many ;  for,  such  is  the  gen 
eral  frivolity  of  employments  and  amusements  of  the  ranks 
we  call  gentlemen,  that  every  century  may  have  seen  three 
successions  of  a  set  of  a  thousand  each  (gentlemen,  too,  of 
equal  or  superior  fortune,)  no  one  of  which  sets,  in  the 
course  of  their  lives,  has  done  the  good  effected  by  this  man 
alone !  Good,  not  only  to  his  own  nation,  and  to  his  con 
temporaries,  but  to  distant  countries,  and  to  late  posterity, 
for  such  must  be  the  effect  of  his  multiplying  and  distrib 
uting  copies  of  the  works  of  our  best  English  writers,  on 
subjects  the  most  important  to  the  welfare  of  society." 

At  this  time,  animal  magnetism  was  exciting 
much  attention.  Wonderful  curative  effects 
were  claimed  for  it  by  Mesmer  and  his  disciple 
Geslon,  who  eclipsed  in  popularity  the  most 
eminent  physicians  of  the  day.  The  world  was 
divided  into  two  parties,  those  who  believed, 
and  those  who  ridiculed ;  but  the  former  were 
far  the  more  numerous.  At  length,  early  in 
1784,  the  King  appointed  a  commission  of  ten 
learned  men,  Franklin  being  placed  at  the  head, 
to  investigate  the  subject.  They  came  to  the 
unanimous  opinion,  that  animal  magnetism  was 
a  ''delusion,"  and  that  the  effects  ascribed  to  it 
were  chiefly  due  to  the  imagination  of  the  pa 
tients. 

In  a  letter  to  his  daughter,  speaking  of  the 


366  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

eagle   as  the   national   symbol  of  America,  he 
said: 

"  I  wish  the  bald  eagle  had  not  been  chosen  as  the  repre 
sentative  of  our  country;  he  is  a  bird  of  bad  moral  charac 
ter  ;  lie  does  not  get  his  living  honestly ;  you  may  have  seen 
him  perched  on  some  dead  tree,  where,  too  lazy  to  fish  for 
himself,  he  watches  the  labor  of  the  fishing-hawk;  and, 
when  that  diligent  bird  has  at  length  taken  a  fish,  and  is 
bearing  it  to  his  nest  for  the  support  of  his  mate  and  young 
ones,  the  bald  eagle  pursues  him,  and  takes  it  from  him. 
With  all  this  injustice  he  is  never  in  good  case ;  but  like 
those  among  men  who  live  by  sharping  and  robbing,  he  is 
generally  poor,  and  often  very  lousy.  Besides,  he  is  a  rank 
coward;  the  little  kingbird,  not  bigger  than  a  sparrow,  at 
tacks  him  boldly  and  drives  him  out  of  the  district.  •  •  * 

"I  am  on  this  account,  not  displeased  that  the  figure  [on 
a  medal]  is  not  known  as  a  bald  eagle,  but  looks  more  like  a 
turkey.  For  in  truth,  the  turkey  is  in  comparison  a  much 
more  respectable  bird,  and  withal  a  true  original  native  of 
America.  Eagles  have  been  found  in  all  countries,  but  the 
turkey  was  peculiar  to  ours.  •  •  •  •  jje  is,  besides, 
(though  a  little  vain  and  silly,  it  is  true,  but  not  the  worse 
emblem  for  that,)  a  bird  of  courage,  and  would  not  hesitate 
to  attack  a  grenadier  of  the  British  guards,  who  should  pre 
sume  to  invade  his  farm  yard  with  a  red  coat  on." 

Writing,  about  six  weeks  later,  March  12th, 
to  Henry  Lawrence,  one  of  the  Peace  Commis 
sioners,  he  says : 

"  I  write  this  in  great  pain  from  the  gout  in  both  feet;  but 
'  *  *  *  I  could  not  let  slip  the  opportunity,  as  perhaps  it 
is  the  only  safe  one  that  may  occur  before  your  departure 
for  America.  I  wish  mine  was  as  near.  •  •  •  '  I  wish 
i  ather  to  die  in  my  own  country  than  here ;  and  though  the 
upper  part  of  the  building  appears  yet  tolerably  firm,  yet  be 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  867 

ing  undermined  by  the  stone  and  gout  united,  its  fall  cannot 
be  far  distant." 

The  next  morning  he  added  a  postscript,  ask 
ing  his  friend  to  "  refute  "  certain  calumnies  that 
had  been  circulated  against  him  in  America : 

"  You  will  exceedingly  oblige  me,  who  has  lived  beyond 
all  other  ambitions  than  that  of  dying  with  the  fair  charac 
ter  he  has  long  endeavored  to  deserve.  As  to  my  infallibil 
ity,  which  you  do  not  undertake  to  maintain,  I  am  too  mod 
est  myself  to  claim  it,  that  is,  in  general;  though  when  we 
come  to  particulars,  I,  like  other  people,  give  it  up  with  diffi 
culty.  Steele  says,  that  the  difference  between  the  Church 
of  Rome  and  the  Church  of  England  on  that  point,  is  only 
this :  that  the  one  pretends  to  be  infallible,  and  the  other  to 
be  never  in  the  wrong.  In  this  latter  sense,  we  are  most  of 
us  Church  of  England  men,  though  few  of  us  confess  it, 
and  express  it  so  naturally  and  frankly,  as  a  certain  lady 
here  who  said,  '  I  do  not  know  how  it  happens,  but  I  meet 
with  nobody,  except  myself,  that  is  always  in  the  right;  je 
ne  trouve  que  moi  qni  a  toujours  raison.'  " 

A  week  later  he  writes  to  his  "dear  old 
friend,"  Mrs.  Hewson: 

"I  still  exist,  and  still  enjoy  some  pleasure  in  that  exist 
ence,  though  now  in  my  seventy-ninth  year.  Yet  I  feel  the 
infirmities  of  age  come  on  so  fast,  and  the  building  to  need 
so  many  repairs,  that  in  a  little  time  the  owner  will  find  it 
cheaper  to  pull  it  down  and  build  a  new  one." 

About  three  months  later  he  received  a  most 
affectionate  letter  from  his  sister,  Mrs.  Mecom, 
in  which,  speaking  of  his  "  dreadful  malady," 
she  said : 

"  How  many  hours  have  I  lain  awake  on  nights  thinking 
what  excruciating  pains  you  might  then  be  encountering, 


368  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FEANKLIN. 

while  I,  poor,  useless,  and  worthless  worm,  was  permitted  to 
be  at  ease.  O  that  it  was  in  my  power  to  mitigate  the  anguish 
I  know  you  endure." 

If  he  had  bitter  enemies,  he  had  also  most  af 
fectionate  and  almost  worshipful  friends.  There 
was  but  one  exception,  in  his  own  family,  and 
that  was  rather  political  than  personal.  In  a 
letter  to  his  son,  written  a  few  weeks  after  he 
received  the  above,  he  said  : 

"I  am  glad  to  find  that  you  desire  to  revive  the  affection 
ate  intercourse  that  formerly  existed  between  us.  It  will  be 
very  agreeable  tome;  indeed,  nothing  has  ever  hurt  me  so 
much,  and  affected  me  with  such  keen  sensations,  as  to  find 
myself  deserted  in  my  old  age  by  my  only  son;  and  not  only 
deserted,  but  to  find  him  taking  up  arms  against  me  in  a 
cause,  wherein  my  fame,  fortune,  and  life  were  all  at  stake. 
You  conceived,  you  say,  that  your  duty  to  your  King  and  re 
gard  for  your  country  required  this. 

"  I  ought  not  to  blame  you  for  differing  in  sentiment  with 
me  in  public  affairs.  We  are  men,  all  subject  to  errors. 
Our  opinions  are  not  in  our  own  power;  they  are  formed 
and  governed  much  by  circumstances,  that  are  often  as  in 
explicable  as  they  are  irresistible.  Your  situation  was  such 
that  few  would  have  censured  your  remaining  neutral, 
though  there  are  natural  duties  which  precede  political  ones 
and  cannot  be  extinguished  by  them. 

"  This  is  a  disagreeable  subject.  I  drop  it,  and  we  w*ll 
endeavor,  as  you  propose,  mutually  to  forget  what  has  hap 
pened  relating  to  it,  as  well  as  we  can.  •'••'• 

"  Wishing  you  health,  and  more  happiness  than  it  seems 
you  have  lately  experienced,  I  remain 

"YOUB  AFFECTIONATE  FATHEB."  * 

*  Willam  Franklin  removed  to  England,  where  he  died,  in  1813.  at  {h? 
age  of  eighty-two. 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  369 

Two  of  his  last  acts  before  leaving  France 
were  characteristic,  and  honorable  to  him  as  a 
friend  of  peace  and  a  lover  of  good  books.  The 
first,  was  forming  a  treaty  between  Prussia  and 
the  United  States,  one  article  of  which  con 
demned  privateering,  and  declared  in  favor  of 
the  protection  of  private  property  in  time  of 
war ;  an  article,  says  the  Prussian  baron  who 
signed  the  treaty,  "dictated  by  the  purest  zeal 
in  favor  of  humanit}^."  Of  the  treaty  itself, 
Washington  said  that  a  it  was  the  most  liberal 
(one)  which  has  ever  been  entered  into  between 
independent  powers,"  and  "perfectly  original 
in  many  of  its  articles ; "  and  he  added,  that 
"  should  its  principles  be  considered  hereafter  as 
the  basis  of  connexion  between  nations,  it  will 
operate  more  fully  to  produce  a  general  pacifi 
cation,  than  any  measure  hitherto  attempted 
among  mankind." 

The  other  act,  was  founding  a  town  library  in 
Franklin,  a  new  town  in  Massachusetts,  named 
after  him,  by  the  donation  of  twenty-five  pounds, 
for  the  purchase  of  a  few  good  books  "  such  as 
are  most  proper  to  inculcate  principles  of  sound 
religion  and  just  government ;  "  these  being  u  in 
tended  as  the  commencement  of  a  little  parochial 
library  for  the  use  of  a  society  of  intelligent,  re 
spectable  farmers,  such  as  our  country  people 
consist  of."  Among  the  books,  suitable  for,such 
a  library,  he  mentions  one  recommended  by  his 
good  sister,  Mrs.  Mecom  —  Stennett's  Discourse 
on  Personal  Religion* 


370  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

The  sentiments  by  which  he  was  animated,  in 
view  of  his  active  mission  abroad  and  the  results 
of  war  and  negotiation,  may  be  learned  from  a 
passage  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Strahan,  his  English 
friend,  written  August  19th,  1784,  in  which  he 
says : 

"  You  first  sent  small  armies  to  subdue  us,  believing  them 
more  than  sufficient,  but  soon  found  yourselves  obliged  to 
send  greater;  these,  whenever  they  vetured  to  penetrate  our 
country  beyond  the  protection  of  their  ships,  were  either  re 
pulsed  and  obliged  to  scamper  out,  or  were  surrounded, 
beaten,  and  taken  prisoners.  An  American  planter,  who 
had  never  seen  Europe,  was  chosen  by  us  to  command  our 
troops,  and  continued  during  the  war.  This  man  sent  home 
to  you,  one  after  another,  five  of  your  best  generals,  baffled, 
their  heads  bare  of  laurels,  disgraced  even  in  the  opinion  of 
their  employers." — 

And  adding,  that  the  English  had  despised 
the  "  understandings  "  as  well  as  the  "  courage  " 
of  the  Americans,  he  concludes  as  follows : 

"  But  after  all,  my  dear  friend,  do  not  imagine  that  I  anr 
vain  enough  to  ascribe  our  success  to  any  superiority  in  an> 
of  those  points.  I  am  too  well  acquainted  with  all  the 
springs  and  levers  of  our  machine,  not  to  see  that  our  hu 
man  means  were  unequal  to  our  undertaking,  and  that  if  it 
had  not  been  for  the  justice  of  our  cause,  and  the  conse 
quent  interposition  of  Providence,  in  which  we  had  faith, 
we  must  have  been  ruined.  If  I  had  ever  before  been  an 
atheist,  I  should  now  have  been  convinced  of  the  being  and 
government  of  a  Deity  !  It  is  he  who  abases  the  proud  and 
favors  the  humble.  May  we  never  forget  his  goodness  to  us, 
and  may  our  future  conduct  manifest  our  gratitude." 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FKANKLIN.  871 

The  next  April,  in  1785,  he  said : 

"  I  have  received  from  Congress  my  leave  to  return    •    • 

•    •    I  shall  now  be  free  from  politics  for  the  rest  of  my 

life.    Welcome  again,  my  dear  philosophical  amusements ! " 

Alas,  it  was  still  to  be  politics  and  not  philos 
ophy. 


372  LITE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 

A  Successor  Appointed.  —  Thomas  Jefferson.  — 
Letter  to  David  Hartley. —  u  Going  to  Bed." — 
Leaves  Passy. — Sails  from  Havre. — At  South- 
hampton.  —  The  Bishop  of  Asaph.  — Meets  hi* 
Son. —  Welcomed  Home. —  The  Gulf  Stream. — 
Smoky  Chimneys.  —  Regrets  on  his  Leaving 
France. — Philosophical  Society. —  Other  Public 
Bodies.  —  Congratulatory  Letters.  —  President 
of  Pennsylvania. —  Letters  from  Mrs.  Mecom. 
—  Happy  in  his  Family. —  Letters. —  Views  of 
Death. — Large  Correspondence. — To  Mrs.  Hew- 
son.  —  His  Amusements.  —  To  Mrs.  Mecom.  — 
Bad  Spelling.  —  Phonography.  —  The  Servant 
Girl. —  Anniversary  of  Independence  in  Phila 
delphia.  —  Letter  from  Mrs.  Mecom.  —  Black 
berry  Jelly.  —  The  North  Church  Lightning- 
Rod. — Another  Letter. — Barrel  of  Flour. — 
Great  Snow  Storm. — Letter  to  a  Friend  in  Eng 
land. —  A  Future  State. 

His  resignation  having  at  length  been  accepted 
by  Congress,  and  a  successor,  Thomas  Jefferson, 
been  appointed  minister  plenipotentiary,  on  the 
10th  of  March,  Franklin  was  at  liberty  to  re 
turn.  He  did  not  leave,  however,  for  several 
mouths.  A  week  before  his  departure,  writing 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN    FllANKLIN.  373 

to  David  Hartley,  he  said :  "  I  leave  you  still  in 
the  field,  but,  having  finished  my  day's  task,  I 
am  going  home  to  go  to  bed.  Wish  me  a  good 
night's  rest,  as  I  do  you  a  pleasant  evening. 
Adieu  ! "  On  the  12th  of  July,  1785,  after  a 
residence  of  about  eight  years  and  a  half  in 
France,  he  left  Passy,  traveling  by  easy  stages 
to  Havre,  in  one  of  the  Queen's  litters  carried  by 
two  Spanish  mules,  the  muleteer  riding  another, 
and  his  two  grandsons  accompanying  in  a  car 
riage.  On  the  18th,  "  they  reached  Havre,  hav 
ing  received  many  attentions  at  every  place 
where  they  stopped  on  the  journey."  On  the 
22nd,  they  left  Havre  for  Southampton,  which 
they  reached  on  the  24th,  where  he  was  met  by 
Bishop  Shipley  and  his  family,  and  other  old 
friends.  Here  also  he  found  his  son  William, 
from  whom  he  had  been  separated  for  nine  years, 
and  who  was  now  residing  in  England.  On  the 
27th,  the  party  left  Southampton,  arriving  at 
Philadelphia,  after  a  pleasant  voyage,  on  the 
14th  of  September. 

"  My  son-in-law,"  says  Franklin,  "  came  with  a  boat  for 
us ;  we  landed  at  Market  Street  wharf,  where  we  were  re 
ceived  by  a  crowd  of  people  with  huzzas,  and  accompa 
nied  with  acclamations  quite  to  my  door.  Found  my  family 
well.  God  be  praised  and  thanked  for  all  his  mercies  1" 

During  the  voyage,  he  repeated  his  experi 
ments  iii  the  Gulf  Stream,  and  also  prepared  two 
valuable  papers,  on  Improvements  in  Navigation, 
and  Smoky  Chimneys,  which  he  afterwards 
read  before  the  Philosophical  Society. 


374  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN    FBANKLIK. 

He  left  France  with  the  regrets  of  all  classes 
"  When  he  bid  farewell  to  Passy,  it  seemed  as 
if  the  village  had  lost  its  patriarch,"  so  much 
had  he  endeared  himself  to  his  neighbors  during 
a  several  years'  residence  among  them.  The 
veneration  and  affection  awakened  toward  him 
in  France  were  strickingly  manifested,  a  few 
years  later,  when,  on  his  death,  the  National 
Assembly  and  the  community  of  Paris  sent  let 
ters  of  condolence  to  the  President  of  the  United 
States  and  to  Congress ;  "  The  first  instance," 
says  Jefferson,  "  of  that  homage  having  been 
paid  by  a  public  body  of  one  nation  to  a  private 
citizen  of  another." 

It  was  a  high  compliment  paid  him  by  Jeffer 
son,  when  he  said,  that  "  the  succession  to  Dr. 
Franklin  at  the  court  of  France  was  an  excellent 
school  of  humility.  On  being  presented  to  any 
one  as  the  minister  of  America,  the  commonplace 
question  used  in  such  cases  was,  '  It  is  you,  sir, 
who  replace  Dr.  Franklin  ? '  I  generally  an 
swered,  '  No  one  can  replace  him,  sir  ;  I  am  only 
his  successor.' ' 

At  home  he  received  a  universal  welcome, 
such  as  was  due  to  his  personal  worth  and 
his  great  public  services.  From  General  Wash 
ington,  Mr.  Jay,  and  numerous  other  distin 
guished  men  in  all  parts  of  the  country,  came 
letters  of  congratulation.  The  next  day  after  his 
arrival,  the  Assembly  of  Pennsylvania  presented 
him  a  congratulatory  address,  and  the  American 
Philosophical  Society,  the  University  of  Phila- 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  375 

delphia,  and  other  public  bodies,  followed  in  the 
same  strain  of  respect  and  welcome.  A  few 
days  after  his  return,  he  was  chosen  a  member  of 
the  Supreme  Executive  Council  of  Pennsylva 
nia.  The  next  month,  the  veteran  statesman  of 
seventy-nine,  having  already  spent  more  than 
half  a  century  in  the  public  service,  was  elected 
President  (or  Governor)  of  the  State  of  Penn 
sylvania,  in  which  office  he  was  continued  for 
the  two  following  years,  as  long  as  the  Constitu 
tion  made  him  eligible.  But  no  congratulation, 
we  presume,  was  more  hearty  or  welcome  than 
that  of  his  sister,  Mrs.  Mecom.  About  a  week 
after  his  arrival,  she  wrote  : 

"  Blessed  be  God,  who  has  brought  my  dear  brother  safe 
to  his  desired  port ;  that  lias  answered  my  daily  prayers  for  his 
comfort  and  ease ;  that  you  have  had  so  good  a  passage,  and 
but  one  day's  illness  from  the  malady  that  attends  you." 

Dr.  Franklin  was  now  peculiarly  happy  in  his 
home. 

"I  am  got  into  my  niche,"  he  wrote  to  a  friend,  "after 
being  kept  out  of  it  twenty-four  years  by  foreign  employ 
ments.  It  is  a  very  good  house,  that  I  built  so  long  ago  to 
re  lire  into,  without  being  able  to  enjoy  it." 

And  to  another : 

"  I  am  now  in  the  bosom  of  my  family,  and  find  four  new 
little  prattlers,  who  cling  about  the  knees  of  their  grand 
papa,  and  afford  me  great  pleasure.  The  affectionate  wel 
come  I  met  with  from  my  fellow-citizens  was  far  beyond  my 
expectations." 

To  yet  another  friend,  he  wrote : 
"I  am  surrounded  by  my  offspring,  a  dutiful  and  affec- 


876  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

tionate  daughter  in  my  house,  with  six  grandchildren,  the 
eldest  of  whom  is  now  at  college  in  the  next  street,  finishing 
the  learned  part  of  his  education;  the  others  promising, 
both  for  parts  and  good  dispositions.  What  their  conduct 
may  he,  when  they  grow  up  and  enter  the  important  scenes 
of  life,  I  shall  not  live  to  see,  and  I  cannot  foresee.  I  there 
fore  enjoy  among  them  the  present  hour,  and  leave  the  fu 
ture  to  Providence. 

"He  that  raises  a  large  family  does,  indeed,  while  he  lives 
to  observe  them,  stand,  as  Watts  says,  a  broader  mark  for 
sorrow;  but  then  he  stands  a  broader  mark  for  pleasure  too. 
When  we  launch  our  little  fleet  of  barks  into  the  ocean, 
bound  to  different  ports,  we  hope  for  each  a  prosperous  voy 
age  ;  but  contrary  winds,  hidden  shoals,  storms,  and  ene 
mies  come  in  for  a  share  in  the  disposition  of  events ;  and 
though  these  occasion  a  mixture  of  disappointment,  yet,  con 
sidering  the  risk  where  we  can  make  no  insurance,  we  should 
think  ourselves  happy  if  some  return  with  success.  My 
son's  son,  Temple  Franklin,  •  •  *  has  dropped  for  the 
present  his  views  of  acting  in  the  political  line,  and  applies 
himself  ardently  to  the  study  and  practice  of  agriculture. 
This  is  much  more  agreeable  to  me,  who  esteem  it  the  most 
useful,  the  most  independent,  and  therefore  the  noblest,  of 
employments.  •  •  • 

"My  health  and  spirits  continue,  thanks  to  God,  as  when 
you  saw  me.  The  only  complaint  I  then  had,  does  not  grow 
worse,  and  is  tolerable.  I  still  have  enjoyment  in  the  com 
pany  of  my  friends ;  and,  being  easy  in  circumstances,  have 
many  reasons  to  like  living.  But  the  course  of  nature  must 
soon  put  a  period  to  my  present  mode  of  existence.  This  I 
shall  submit  to  with  the  less  regret,  as,  having  seen  during 
a  long  life  a  good  deal  of  this  world,  I  feel  a  growing  curios 
ity  to  be  acquainted  with  some  other;  and  can  cheerfully, 
with  filial  confidence,  resign  my  spirit  to  the  conduct  of  that 
great  and  good  Parent  of  mankind,  who  created  it,  and  who 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  377 

has  so  graciously  protected  and  prospered  me  from  my  birth 
to  the  present  hour." 

He  kept  up  a  large  correspondence  with 
friends  at  home  and  abroad.  To  Mrs.  Hewson, 
after  acknowledging  the  receipt  of  her  letters, 
he  wrote : 

"  Therein  I  find  all  the  pleasing  little  family  history  of 
your  children;  how  Willie  had  begun  to  spell,  overcoming 
by  strength  of  memory  all  the  difficulty  occasioned  by  the 
common  wretched  alphabet,  while  you  were  convinced  of  the 
utility  of  our  new  one  ;*  how  Tom,  genius-like,  struck  out 
new  paths,  and,  relinquishing  the  old  names  of  the  letters, 
called  U  bell,  and  P  bottle;  how  Eliza  began  to  grow  jolly, 
that  is,  fat  and  handsome,  resembling  Aunt  Eooke,  whom  I 
used  to  call  my  lovely  •  •  •  • 

"  I  have  found  my  family  here  in  health,  good  circum 
stances,  and  well  respected  by  their  fellow  citizens.  The 
companions  of  my  youth  are  indeed  almost  all  departed ;  but 
I  find  an  agreeable  society  among  their  children  and  grand 
children.  I  have  public  business  to  preserve  me  from  ennui, 
and  private  amusement  besides,  in  conversation,  books,  my 
garden,  and  cribbage.  Considering  our  well-furnished,  plen 
tiful  market  as  the  best  of  gardens,  I  am  turning  mine,  in 
the  midst  of  which  my  house  stands,  into  grass  plots  and 
gravel  walks,  with  trees  and  flowering  shrubs.  Cards  we 
sometimes  play  here,  in  long  winter  evenings,  but  it  is  as 
they  play  at  chess,  not  for  money  but  for  honor,  or  the  pleas 
ure  of  beating  one  another.  This  will  not  be  quite  a  novelty 
to  you,  as  you  may  remember  we  played  together  in  that  man 
ner  during  the  winter  at  Passy.  I  have,  indeed,  now  and 
then,  a  little  compunction  in  reflecting  that  I  spend  time  so 
idly ;  but  another  reflection  comes  to  relieve  me,  whispering, 

*  Invented  by  Dr.  Franklin,  on  the  principle  of  phonography. 


878  LIFE  OJf   BBJSJAMIN    FEANKLIN. 

1  You  know  that  the  soul  is  immortal ;  why,  then,  should 
you  be  such  a  niggard  of  a  little  time,  when  you  have  a 
whole  eternity  before  you? '  So,  being  easily  convinced,  and, 
like  other  reasonable  creatures,  satisfied  with  a  small  reason, 
when  it  is  in  favor  of  doing  what  I  have  a  mind  to,  I  shuffle 
the  cards  again,  and  begin  another  game. 

"As  to  public  amusements,  we  have  neither  plays  nor 
operas,  but  we  had  yesterday  a  kind  of  oratorio,  as  you  will 
see  by  the  enclosed  paper;  and  we  have  assemblies,  balls, 
and  concerts,  besides  little  parties  at  one  another's  houses, 
in  which  there  is  sometimes  dancing,  and  frequently  good 
music ;  so  that  we  jog  on  in  life  as  pleasantly  as  you  do  in 
England ;  anywhere  but  in  London,  for  there  you  have  plays 
performed  by  good  actors.  That,  however,  is,  I  think,  the 
only  advantage  London  has  over  Philadelphia." 

On  the  Fourth  of  July,  1786,  he  wrote  to  his 

sister : 

"You  need  not  be  concerned,  in  writing  to  me,  about 
your  bad  spelling ;  for,  in  my  opinion,  as  our  alphabet  now 
stands,  the  bad  spelling,  or  what  is  called  so,  is  generally  the 
best,  as  conforming  to  the  sound  of  the  letters,  and  of  the 
words.  To  give  you  an  instance.  A  gentleman  received  a 
letter,  in  which  were  these  words:  Not  finding  Brown  at 
home,  I  delivered  your  mesecj  to  his  yf.  The  gentleman,  find 
ing  it  bad  spelling,  and  therefore  not  very  intelligible,  called 
his  lady  to  help  him  read  it.  Between  them  they  picked  out 
the  meaning  of  all  but  the  2//,  which  they  could  not  under 
stand.  The  lady  proposed  calling  her  chambermaid,  be 
cause  Betty,  says  she,  has  the  best  knack  at  reading  bad 
spelling  of  any  one  I  know.  Betty  came,  and  was  surprised 
that  neither  Sir  nor  Madam  could  tell  what  yf  was.  '  Why,' 
said  she,  « yf  spells  wife;  what  else  can  it  spell  ? '  And,  in 
deed,  it  is  a  much  better,  as  well  as  shorter  method  of  spell- 


LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  379 

ing  wife,  than  doubleyou,  i,  ef,  e,  which  in  reality  spells 
doubleyifey. 

"There  is  much  rejoicing  in  town  to-day,  it  being  the 
Anniversary  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  which  we 
signed  this  day  ten  years,  and  thereby  hazarded  lives  and 
fortunes.  God  was  pleased  to  put  a  favorable  end  to  the 
contest,  much  sooner  than  we  had  reason  to  expect.  His 
name  be  praised." 

From  her,  about  a  fortnight  after,  came  a  let 
ter,  informing  her  brother  of  the  public  celebra 
tion  of  the  opening  of  the  new  bridge  on  Charles 
River  ;  "  it  was  thought "  she  said  "  the  toll-gath 
erers  received  yesterday,  being  Commencement 
day,  five  hundred  dollars."  She  added,  that  she 
had  sent  "  the  soap."  Again  in  August,  the  good 
sister  wrote,  that  she  hoped  there  might  be  effi 
cacy  in  blackberry  jelly  to  help  her  brother.  She 
added,  with  a  burst  of  pious  gratitude : 

"  Oh,  if  it  is,  how  shall  I  enough  bless  that  merciful,  com 
passionate  Being,  who  has  directed  to  such  a  medicine  for 
your  relief." 

She  informed  him  also  that, 

"  The  North  Church  folks  are  repairing  their  steeple,  and 
it  was  thought  the  electrical  wire  was  too  small  to  conduct 
a  large  stroke  of  lightning.  I  felt  uneasy  about  it,  and  got 
Mr.  Collas  to  inquire  about  it,  and  he  tells  me  they  have 
made  it  three  times  as  big  as  it  was  before." 

In  December  she  thanked  him  for  "  a  charming 
barrel  of  flour,"  which  he  had  sent  her,  and 
gave  him  some  particulars  of  a  great  snow-storm 
in  Boston ; 

"  The  snow  has  been  so  deep,  and  we  no  man  in  the 


380  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

house,  that  we  might  have  been  buried  alive  were  it  not  for 
the  care  of  some  good  neighbors  who  began  to  dig  us  out 
before  we  were  up  in  the  morning,  and  Cousin  William 
came  puffing  and  sweating,  as  soon  as  it  was  possible,  to  see 
how  we  were,  and  if  we  wanted  anything;  but,  thank  God, 
we  had  no  want  of  anything  necessary,  if  we  had  been  shut 
up  a  fortnight,  except  milk." 

Early  the  next  year,  1787,  he  wrote  to  a  friend 
in  England : 

"  I  often  think  with  great  pleasure  on  the  happy  days  I 
passed  in  England  with  my  and  your  learned  and  ingenious 
friends,  who  have  left  us  to  join  the  majority  in  the  world 
of  spirits.  Every  one  of  them  now  knows  more  than  all  of 
us  they  have  left  behind.  It  is  to  me  a  comfortable  reflec 
tion,  that,  since  we  must  live  forever  in  a  future  state,  there 
is  a  sufficient  stock  of  amusement  in  reserve  for  us,  to  bo 
found  in  constantly  learning  something  new  to  eternity,  the 
present  quantity  of  human  ignorance  infinitely  exceeding 
that  of  human  knowledge. 

"  B.  FRANKLLN  (in  his  eighty-second  year)." 

To  a  friend  in  France  he  wrote,  not  long 
after : 

"  Sitting  or  lying  in  bed,  I  am  generally  quite  easy,  God 
be  thanked ;  and,  as  I  live  temperately,  drink  no  wine,  and 
use  daily  the  exercise  of  the  dumb-bell,  I  flatter  myself  that 
the  stone  is  kept  from  augmenting  so  much  as  it  might  oth 
erwise  do,  and  that  I  may  still  continue  to  find  it  tolerable. 
People  who  live  long,  who  will  drink  of  the  cup  of  life  to 
the  very  bottom,  must  expect  to  meet  with  some  of  the  usual 
dregs,  and  when  I  reflect  on  the  number  of  terrible  maladies 
human  nature  is  subject  to,  I  think  myself  favored  in  hav 
ing  to  my  share  only  the  stone  and  the  gout." 

Speaking  of  "  the  prejudice  in  Europe,  which  supposes  a 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  381 

family  dishonored  by  the  punishment  of  one  of  its  mem 
bers,  as  very  absurd,"  he  adds,  "on  the  contrary,"  as  his 
opinion,  "that  a  rogue  hanged  out  of  a  family  does  it  more 
honor  than  ten  that  live  in  it" 


382  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 

Plunged  into  Public  Business" — Member  of  the 
Convention  that  Framed  the  Constitution.  — 
Major  Forman.  —  Washington.  —  Franklin.  — 
Speech  on  Prayers  in  the  Convention.  —  Divine 
Providence.  —  Contest  between  the  Larger  and 
Smaller  States.  —  Ineligibility  of  the  President 
to  a  Second  Term.  —  Power  of  the  President. 
— James  Madison.  —  Anecdote  of  Franklin.  — 
Picture  of  a  Rising  Sun. — Franklin* 8  Activity. 
—  Bigelow. —  Diary  of  Manasseh  Cutler. —  His 
Visit  to  Franklin  in  1787. —  Letter  to  Mrs.  Me- 
com. —  How  to  Build  Fire-proof  Houses.  —  His 
Kindness.  —  Letter  from  Mrs.  Mecom.  —  Let 
ter  from  his  Niece. —  What  is  Known  in  Heaven 
of  Earthly  Things.  —  Letter  to  his  Sister.  — 
Letter  to  a  Friend.  —  Relief  from  Public  Bus 
iness.  —  Meetings  of  Societies  at  his  House.  — 
His  Domestic  Life.  —  Remedy  for  Deafness.  — 
Abolition  of  Slavery.  —  "Plan  for  Improving 
the  Condition  of  the  Free  Blacks." — Aboli 
tion  Memorial  to  Congress.  —  Last  Sickness. — 
His  Cheerfulness. — Relates  Anecdotes. — His 
Sickness  Increases.  —  His  Patience.  —  G-rati- 
tude  to  G-od.  —  His  Death.  —  Dr.  Jones.  — 
J)r,  Rush.  —  Mrs.  Eswson's  Account  of  his 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FEANKL1N.  383 

Sickness  and  Death. — Dr.  Watts'  Poems. — His 
Religious  Vieivs.  —  Letter  to  Thomas  Paine. 

WHITING  to  a  friend,  after  his  return  to 
America,  Dr.  Franklin  said :  "  I  am  plunged 
again  into  public  business  as  deep  as  ever." 

"  I  liad,  on  my  return,"  be  wrote  to  another  friend  in 
England,  "  some  right  to  expect  repose;  and  it  was  my  in 
tention  to  avoid  all  public  business.  But  I  had  not  firmness 
enough  to  resist  the  unanimous  desire  of  my  country  folks ; 
and  I  find  myself  harnessed  again  in  their  service  for  another 
year.  They  engrossed  the  prime  of  my  life.  They  have 
eaten  my  flesh,  and  seem  resolved  now  to  pick  my  bones." 

This  had  immediate  reference  to  his  appoint 
ment  as  President  of  Pennsylvania.  But  yet 
more  responsible  duties  now  awaited  him.  He 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  Convention  which 
formed  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States ; 
the  Articles  of  Confederation,  under  which  the 
republic  had  been  organized,  having  been  found 
ill-adapted  to  a  firm  and  stable  government. 
The  Convention  met  in  May,  1787,  at  Philadel 
phia.  Major  Forman,  who  died  in  1862,  at  the 
age  of  ninety-seven,  thus  describes  the  appear 
ance  of  two  of  its  most  distinguished  members. 
He  says  that, 

"He  saw  General  Washington  at  Philadelphia,  in  the 
Convention  which  assembled  to  adopt  the  United  States 
Constitution.  The  general  was  attired  in  citizen's  dress, 
blue  coat,  cocked  hat,  his  hair  in  a  cue,  and  crossed  and  pow 
dered.  He  walked  alone,  and  seemed  borne  down  in  thought. 
He  presided  over  the  Convention,  which  was  held  in  the 
State  House.  A  few  moments  previous  to  General  Wasto 


384  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

ington's  taking  his  seat  on  the  rostrum,  the  venerable  Di. 
Franklin  was  brought  forward  by  a  posse  of  men,  in  his  se 
dan,  and  helped  into  the  hall,  he  being  severely  afflicted 
with  the  paisy."  * 

He  was  one  of  the  most  valuable  and  influen 
tial  members  of  that  august  body.  One  speech 
of  his  is  memorable,  as  showing  his  faith  in  the 
value  of  prayer.  Many  weeks  had  been  spent 
in  fruitless  and  acrimonious  debate,  when  Frank 
lin  introduced  a  motion  for  daily  prayers,  in 
the  following  words : 

"The  small  progress  we  have  made  after  four  or  five 
weeks,  close  attendance  and  continued  reasoning  with  each 
other;  our  different  sentiments  on  almost  every  question, 
several  of  the  last  producing  almost  as  many  noes  as  ayes, — 
is,  methinks,  a  melancholy  proof  of  the  imperfection  of  the 
human  understanding.  We,  indeed,  seem  to  feel  our  own 
want  of  political  wisdom,  since  we  have  been  running  about 
in  search  of  it.  We  have  gone  back  to  ancient  history  for 
modes  of  government,  and  examined  the  different  forms  of 
those  republics  which,  having  been  formed  with  the  seeds  of 
their  own  dissolution,  now  no  longer  exist.  And  we  have 
viewed  modern  states  all  round  Europe,  but  find  none  of 
their  constitutions  suitable  to  our  circumstances.  In  this 
situation  of  this  assembly,  groping,  as  it  were,  in  the  dark, 
to  find  political  truth,  and  scarce  able  to  distinguish  it  when 
presented  to  us,  how  has  it  happened,  Sir,  that  we  have  not 
hitherto  once  thought  of  applying  to  the  Father  of  lights,  to 
illuminate  our  understanding?  In  the  beginning  of  the  con 
test  with  Great  Britain,  when  we  were  sensible  of  danger, 
we  had  daily  prayer  in  this  room  for  the  divine  protection. 
Our  prayers,  gir,  were  heard,  and  they  were  graciously  an- 

*  Mrs.  Bonney's  Leg.  of  Historical  Gleanings.     II.,  366. 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN.  385 

swered.  All  of  us  who  were  engaged  in  the  struggle  must 
have  observed  frequent  instances  of  a  superintending  Provi 
dence  in  our  favor.  To  that  kind  Providence  we  owe  this 
happy  opportunity  of  consulting  in  peace  on  the  means  of 
establishing  our  future  national  felicity.  And  have  we  now 
forgotten  that  powerful  friend?  Or  do  we  imagine  that  \ve 
no  longer  need  his  assistance?  I  have,  lived,  Sir,  a  long 
time,  and  the  longer  I  live,  the  more  convincing  proofs  I  see 
of  this  truth  —  that  God  governs  in  the  affairs  of  men.  And 
if  a  sparrow  cannot  fall  to  the  ground  without  his  notice,  is 
it  probable  that  an  empire  can  rise  without  his  aid  ?  We 
have  been  assured,  Sir,  in  the  sacred  writings,  that  "  except 
the  Lord  build  the  house,  they  labor  in  vain  that  build  it." 
I  firmly  believe  this;  and  I  also  believe  that  without  his 
concurring  aid  we  shall  succeed  in  this  political  building 
no  better  than  the  builders  of  Babel.  We  shall  be  divided 
by  our  little  partial  local  interests;  our  projects  will  be  con 
founded;  and  we  ourselves  shall  become  a  reproach  and  by 
word  down  to  future  ages.  And  what  is  worse,  mankind 
may  hereafter,  from  this  unfortunate  instance,  despair  of 
establishing  governments  by  human  wisdom,  and  leave  it  to 
chance,  war  and  conquest. 

I  therefore  beg  leave  to  move  that  henceforth  prayers,  im 
ploring  the  assistance  of  Heaven  and  its  blessings  on  our 
deliberations,  be  held  in  this  assembly  every  morning  before 
we  proceed  to  business,  and  that  one  or  more  of  the  clergy 
of  this  city  be  requested  to  officiate  in  that  service." 

He  showed  his  remarkable  genius  for  states 
manship  in  the  way  he  brought  to  a  satisfactory 
end  the  bitter  contest  between  the  larger  and 
smaller  States,  by  proposing  that  all  the  States 
should  be  equally  represented  in  the  Senate, 
and  according  to  their  population  in  the  lower 


386  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

House,  where  also  money  bills  were  to  originate. 
He  opposed  a  property  qualification  for  Repre 
sentatives  to  Congress,  and  the  allowing  a  com 
pensation  to  members  of  the  Senate.  He  favored 
the  election  of  President  for  a  term  of  seven 
years,  and  his  subsequent  ineligibility. 

He  expressed  his  fears  of  the  result  of  giving 
to  the  President  the  power  of  appointments  to 
office ;  and  favored  the  clause  which  grants  to 
Congress  the  power  of  impeaching  him.  He 
always  feared  the  danger  of  Executive  encroach 
ments  upon  the  liberties  of  the  people. 

Madison  relates  that,  — 

"  Whilst  the  last  members  were  signing  the  Federal  Con 
stitution,  Doctor  Franklin,  looking  towards  the  President's 
chair,  at  the  back  of  which  a  rising  sun  happened  to  be 
painted,  observed  to  a  few  members  near  him,  that  painters 
had  found  it  difficult  to  distinguish,  in  their  art,  a  rising 
from  a  setting  sun.  '  I  have,'  said  he,  '  often  and  often,  in 
the  course  of  the  session,  and  the  vicissitudes  of  my  hopes 
and  fears  as  to  its  issue,  looked  at  that  behind  the  President, 
without  being  able  to  tell  whether  it  was  rising  or  setting; 
but  now  at  length  I  have  the  happiness  to  know  that  it  is  a 
rising  and  not  a  setting  sun." 

During  the  session  of  four  months,  Franklin, 
though  now  in  his  eighty -second  year,  gave  to 
its  work  five  hours  every  day. 

"It  is  not  too  much  to  say,"  says  Bigelow,  "that  to 
Franklin,  perhaps  more  than  to  any  other  one  man,  the  pres 
ent  Constitution  of  the  United  States  owes  most  of  those 
features  \\hich  have  given  it  durability,  and  have  made  it 
the  ideal  by  which  all  other  systems  of  government  are 
tested  by  Americans." 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN  387 

Fortunately,  the  diary*  of  Rev.  Manasseh 
Cutler  of  Hamilton,  Mass.,  somewhat  eminent 
in  his  day  as  a  scholar  and  a  botanist,  gives  us 
a  picture  of  Franklin  at  this  period  of  his  life. 
Being  on  a  visit  at  Philadelphia,  he  called  upon 
the  venerable  statesman. 

"  July  13,  1787.— Dr.  Franklin  lives  in  Market  Street.  His 
house  stands  up  a  court,  at  some  distance  from  the  street. 
I  found  him  in  his  garden,  sitting  upon  a  grass-plot,  under 
a  very  large  mulberry-tree,  with  several  other  gentlemen, 
and  two  or  three  ladies.  When  Mr.  Gerry  introduced  me, 
he  rose  from  his  chair,  took  me  by  the  hand,  expressed  his 
joy  at  seeing  me,  welcomed  me  to  the  city,  and  begged  me 
to  seat  myself  close  to  him.  His  voice  was  low,  but  his 
countenance  open,  frank,  and  pleasing.  I  delivered  to  him 
my  letters.  After  he  had  read  them,  he  took  me  again  by 
the  hand,  and,  with  the  usual  compliments,  introduced  me 
to  the  other  gentlemen,  who  are  most  of  them  members  of 
the  Convention. 

"Here  we  entered  into  a  free  conversation,  and  spent  our 
time  most  agreeably,  until  it  was  quite  dark.  The  tea-table 
was  spread  under  the  tree,  and  Mrs.  Bache,  who  is  the  only 
daughter  of  the  Doctor,  and  lives  with  him,  served  it  out  to 
the  company.  She  had  three  of  her  children  about  her. 
They  seemed  to  be  extremely  fond  of  their  grandpapa.  The 
Doctor  showed  me  a  curiosity  he  had  just  received,  and  with 
which  he  was  extremely  pleased.  It  was  a  snake  with  two 
heads,  preserved  in  a  large  phial.  '  .'  •  •  He  grounds 
his  opinion  of  its  not  being  an  extraordinary  production,  but 
a  distinct  genus,  on  the  perfect  form  of  the  snake,  the  prob 
ability  of  its  being  of  some  age,  and  there  having  been  found 
a  snake  entirely  similar  (of  which  the  doctor  has  a  drawing, 
which  he  showed  us),  near  Lake  Champlain,  in  the  time  of 

*  Sparks,  Vol.  I.,  519. 


388  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FBANKLIN. 

tho  late  war.  He  mentioned  the  situation  of  this  snake, 
if  it  was  travelling  among  bushes,  and  one  head  should 
choose  to  go  on  one  side  of  the  stem  of  a  bush,  and  the  other 
head  should  prefer  the  other  side,  and  neither  of  the  heads 
would  consent  to  come  back,  or  give  way  to  the  other.  He 
was  then  going  to  mention  a  humorous  matter,  that  had  that 
day  occurred  in  the  Convention,  in  consequence  of  his  com 
paring  the  snake  to  America;  for  he  seemed  to  forget  that 
everything  in  the  Convention  was  to  be  kept  a  profound 
secret.  But  the  secrecy  of  Convention  matters  was  sug 
gested  to  him,  which  stopped  him,  and  deprived  me  of  the 
story  he  was  going  to  tell. 

"After  it  was  dark  we  went  into  the  house,  and  he  invited 
me  into  his  library,  which  is  likewise  his  study.  It  is  a  very 
large  chamber,  and  high-studded.  The  walls  are  covered 
with  book-shelves,  filled  with  books;  besides  these  there  are 
four  large  alcoves,  extending  two-thirds  the  length  of  the 
chamber,  filled  in  the  same  manner.  I  presume  this  is  the 
largest  and  by  far  the  best  private  library  in  America.  He 
showed  us  a  glass  machine  for  exhibiting  the  circulation  of 
the  blood  in  the  arteries  and  veins  of  the  human  body.  ' 

•  •  Another  great  curiosity  was  a  rolling-press,  for  tak 
ing  the  copies  of  letters  or  any  other  writing.  A  sheet  of 
paper  is  completely  copied  in  less  than  two  minutes.  *  * 
It  is  an  invention  of  his  own.  •  •  •  He  also  showed  us 
his  long,  artificial  arm  and  hand,  for  taking  down  and  put 
ting  up  books  on  high  shelves,  which  are  out  of  reach ;  and 
his  great  arm-chair,  with  rockers,  and  a  large  fan  placed 
over  it,  with  which  he  fans  himself,  keeps  off  the  flies,  etc., 
while  he  sits  reading,  with  only  a  small  motion  of  the  foot; 
and  many  other  curiosities  and  inventions,  all  his  own,  but 
of  lesser  note.  Over  his  mantel  he  has  a  prodigious  num 
ber  of  medals,  busts,  and  casts  in  wax,  or  plaster  of  Paris, 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN    FBANKLIN.  389 

which  are  the  effigies  of  the  most  noted  characters  in  Eu 
rope. 

"  But  what  the  Doctor  wished  principally  to  show  me  was  a 
huge  volume  on  hotany.  *  *  *  It  was  a  single  volume, 
but  so  large,  that  it  was  with  great  difficulty  that  he  was 
able  to  raise  it  from  a  low  shelf,  and  lift  it  on  the  table.  But 
with  that  senile  ambition,  which  is  common  to  old  people, 
he  insisted  on  doing  it  himself,  merely  to  show  us  how  much 
strength  he  had  remaining.  It  contained  the  whole  of  Lin 
naeus'  Systema  Vegetabilium,  with  large  cuts  of  every  plant, 
colored  from  nature.  It  was  a  feast  to  me,  and  the  Doctor 
seemed  to  enjoy  it  as  well  as  myself.  We  spent  a  couple  of 
hours  in  examining  this  volume,  while  the  other  gentlemen 
amused  themselves  with  other  matters.  •  •  * 

"He  seemed  extremely  fond,  through  the  course  of  the 
visit,  of  dwelling  on  philosophical  subjects,  and  particularly 
that  of  Natural  History ;  while  the  other  gentlemen  were 
swallowed  up  with  politics.  This  was  a  favorable  circum 
stance  to  me ;  for  almost  the  whole  of  his  conversation  was 
addressed  to  me,  and  I  was  highly  delighted  with  the  exten 
sive  knowledge  he  appeared  to  have  of  every  subject,  the 
brightness  of  his  memory,  and  clearness  and  vivacity  of  all 
his  mental  faculties,  notwithstanding  his  age. 

"His  manners  are  perfectly  easy,  and  everything  about 
him  seems  to  diffuse  an  unrestrained  freedom  and  happiness. 
He  has  an  incessant  vein  of  humor,  accompanied  with  an 
uncommon  vivacity,  which  seemed  as  natural  and  involun 
tary  as  his  breathing." 

His  kindness  and  his  philosophy  appear  in  one 
of  his  letters  to  his  sister,  written  about  two 
months  later,  in  which  he  says  : 

"  I  lament  the  loss  your  town  has  suffered  this  year  by  fire. 
T  sometimes  think  men  do  not  act  like  reasonable  creatures, 
•A  Qen  they  build  for  themselves  combustible  dwellings,  in 


390  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FfcANKLIN. 

which  they  are  every  day  obliged  to  use  fire.  In  my  new 
buildings,  I  have  taken  a  few  precautions  not  generally 
used ;  to  wit,  none  of  the  wooden  work  of  one  room  commu 
nicates  with  the  wooden  work  of  any  other  room,  and  all  the 
floors,  and  even  the  steps  of  the  stairs,  are  plastered  close  to 
the  boards,  besides  the  plastering  on  the  laths  under  the 
joists.  There  are  also  trap-doors  to  go  out  upon  the  roofs, 
that  one  may  go  out  and  wet  the  shingles  in  case  of  a  neigh 
boring  fire.  But,  indeed,  I  think  the  stair-cases  should  be 
stone,  and  the  floors  tiled  as  in  Paris,  and  the  roofs  either 
tiled  or  slated. 

"  I  sent  you  lately  a  barrel  of  flour,  and  I  blame  myself 
for  not  sooner  desiring  you  to  lay  in  your  winter's  wood,  and 
drawing  upon  me  for  it  as  last  year.  To  avoid  such  neglect 
in  future,  I  now  make  the  direction  general,  that  you  draw 
on  me  every  year  for  the  same  purpose." 

Again  in  November  he  writes  : 

"  I  am  glad  you  have  made  the  provision  against  the  win 
ter,  which  I  mentioned  to  you.  Your  bill  is  honored.  It  is 
impossible  for  me  always  to  guess  what  you  may  want,  and 
I  hope,  therefore,  that  you  will  never  be  shy  in  letting  me 
know  wherein  I  can  help  to  make  your  life  more  comfort 
able." 

In  a  letter  from  his  sister,  written  about  two 
months  later,  she  alludes  to  his  suspecting  that 
she  had  not  fully  told  her  need  : 

"I  do  indeed  live  comfortable.  I  have  a  good,  clean 
house  to  live  in,  etc.  I  go  to  bed  early,  lie  warm  and  com 
fort  able,  rise  early  to  a  good  fire,  have  my  breakfast  directly, 
and  eat  it  with  a  good  appetite,  and  then  read,  or  work,  or 
what  else  I  please.  We  live  frugally,  bake  all  our  own 
bread,  brew  small  beer,  lay  in  a  little  cider,  pork,  butter, 
«ttc.,  supply  ourselves  with  other  provisions  daily  at  the 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  391 

door.  We  make  no  entertainments,  but  sometimes  an  inti 
mate  acquaintance  will  come  in  and  partake  with  us  the 
dinner  we  have  provided  for  ourselves,  and  a  dish  of  tea  in 
the  afternoon ;  and  if  a  friend  sits  and  chats  a  little  in  the 
evening,  we  eat  our  hasty-pudding  (our  common  supper) 
after  they  are  gone. 

"  It  is  true  I  have  some  troubles,  but  my  dear  brother 
does  all  in  his  power  to  alleviate  them  by  preventing  even  a 
wish." 

The  familiar  terms  which  he  maintained  with 
his  relatives,  appear  in  many  letters  that  passed 
between  them.  Thus  his  niece,  Mrs.  Collas,  of 
Boston,  writing  to  him,  July,  of  this  year,  and 
referring  to  something  said  in  previous  letters, 
remarked : 

"Mamma  •  •  •  said  you  did  not  consider  that  in 
heaven  we  should  know  everything,  for  a  good  woman  of 
her  acquaintance  who  was  just  a-going,  longed  to  hear  from 
England  first,  that  she  might  carry  the  news  of  the  Stamp 
Act's  being  repealed  to  her  father,  who  was  a  good  old  Whig. 
I  asked  her  if  she  thought  they  would  hear  when  Maulding 
[MaldenJ  bridge  was  finished:  that,  she  thought,  was  too 
trifling ;  so  we  concluded,  upon  the  whole,  that  there  would 
be  more  joy  in  heaven  over  one  sinner  that  repented,  than 
over  ninety  and  nine  such  things." 

Writing  in  November,  to  his  sister,  he  says ; 

"  I  am  sorry  you  should  suffer  so  much  uneasiness  with 
tears  and  apprehensions  about  my  health.  There  are  in  life 
real  evils  enough,  and  it  is  a  folly  to  afflict  ourselves  with 
imaginary  ones ;  and  it  is  time  enough  when  the  real  ones  ar 
rive.  I  see  by  the  papers  that  to-morrow  (November  27th) 
fs  your  Thanksgiving  Day.  The  flour  will  arrive  too  late  for 
your  pluin-puddings,  for  I  find  it  went  from  hence  but  a  few 


392  LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

days  since.     I  hope,  however,  it  will  be  with  you  before  the 
winter  shuts  up  the  harbor." 

He  writes  to  a   friend   early  the  next  year 
(1789)  : 

"  Having  served  my  time  of  three  years  as  President,  I 
have  now  renounced  all  public  business,  and  enjoy  the  otium 
cum  dignitate.  My  friends  indulge  me  with  their  frequent 
visits,  which  I  have  now  leisure  to  receive  and  enjoy.  The 
Philosophical  Society,  and  the  Society  for  Political  Inquiries, 
meet  at  my  house,  which  I  have  enlarged  by  additional  build 
ing,  that  affords  me  a  large  room  for  those  meetings,  and 
another  over  it  for  my  library,  now  very  considerable ;  and 
over  all  some  lodging-rooms.  I  have  seven  promising  grand 
children  by  my  daughter,  who  play  with  and  amuse  me,  and 
she  is  a  kind  and  attentive  nurse  to  me  when  I  am  at  any 
time  indisposed ;  so  that  I  pass  my  time  as  agreeably  as  at  my 
age  a  man  may  well  expect,  and  have  little  to  wish  for,  ex 
cept  a  more  easy  exit  than  my  malady  seems  to  threaten." 

He  still  has  some  practical  information  to 
give  to  his  friend,  and  adds  : 

"  The  deafness  you  complain  of  gives  me  concern.  If 
moderate,  you  may  remedy  it  easily  and  readily,  by  putting 
your  thumb  and  fingers  hehind  your  ear,  pressing  it  out 
wards,  and  enlarging  it,  as  it  were,  with  the  hollow  of  your 
hand.  By  an  exact  experiment,  I  found  that  I  could  hear 
the  tick  of  a  watch  at  forty-five  feet  distance  by  this  means, 
which  was  harely  audible  at  twenty  feet  without  it.  The 
experiment  was  made  at  midnight  when  the  house  was 
still." 

He  was  much  interested  in  the  abolition  of 
slavery,  and  in    1787  was  chosen  President  of 
the  first  society  ever  formed  for  that  purpose 
the  Pennsylvania  Abolition  Society,  whose  cei> 


LIFE   OF  BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN.  393 

tennial  anniversary  was  celebrated  in  Philadel 
phia  the  past  year  (1875).  He  drew  up  a 
Plan  for  Improving  the  Condition  of  the  Free 
Blacks  ;  and  in  1790,  about  two  months  before 
his  death  and  as  his  last  public  act,  be  signed, 
as  President  of  the  Abolition  Society,  a  memorial 
to  Congress,  which  he  is  said  to  have  written, 
for  the  abolition  of  American  slavery.  In  it  he 
said: 

"  That  mankind  are  all  formed  by  the  same  Almighty 
Being,  alike  objects  of  his  care  and  equally  designed  for  the 
enjoyment  of  happiness,  the  Christian  religion  teaches  us  to 
believe,  and  the  political  creed  of  Americans  fully  coincides 
with  that  position." 

Still  later,  less  than  a  month  before  his  death, 
he  wrote  a  travesty  of  a  speech  made  by  a  mem 
ber  of  Congress,  in  which  he  represented  an  Al- 
gerine  as  urging,  before  the  Divan,  reasons  in 
favor  of  European  slavery,  similar  to  those  pre 
sented  by  the  Americans  in  behalf  of  negro 
slavery. 

But  the  life  that  had  so  long  been  busy  in 
works  of  utility  and  benevolence,  in  promoting 
the  cause  of  freedom,  science,  and  humanity, 
was  drawing  to  a  close.  Early  in  April,  1790, 
he  was  attacked  with  "  a  fever  and  complaint 
of  the  breast,"  which  confined  him  most  of  the 
time  to  his  bed.  In  the  intervals  of  pain,  which 
was  very  great, 

"  He  not  only  amused  himself  by  reading  and  conversing 
cheerfully  with  his  farniJy  and  a  few  friends,  who  visited 
him,  but  was  often  employed  in  doing  business  of  a  public 


894  LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN. 

as  well  as  of  a  private  nature,  with  various  perst  ns  who 
waited  upon  him  for  that  purpose;  and,  in  every  instance, 
displayed  not  only  the  readiness  and  disposition  to  do  good, 
which  were  the  distinguishing  characteristics  of  his  life,  but 
the  fullest  and  clearest  possession  of  his  uncommon  abilities. 
He  also  not  unfrequently  indulged  in  those  jeux  d'  esprit 
and  entertaining  anecdotes,  which  were  the  delight  of  all 
who  heard  him. 

"About  sixteen  days  before  his  death,  he  was  seized  with 
a  feverish  disposition,  without  any  particular  symptoms 
attending  it  till  the  third  or  fourth  day,  when  he  complained 
of  a  pain  in  his  left  breast,  which  increased  till  it  became 
extremely  acute,  attended  by  a  cough  and  laborious  breath 
ing.  During  this  state,  when  the  severity  of  his  pains  drew 
forth  a  groan  of  complaint,  he  would  observe,  that  he  was 
afraid  he  did  not  bear  them  as  he  ought;  acknowledging 
his  grateful  sense  of  the  many  blessings  he  had  received 
from  the  Supreme  Being,  who  had  raised  him,  from  small 
and  low  beginnings,  to  such  high  rank  and  consideration 
among  men,  and  made  no  doubt  but  that  his  present  afflic 
tions  were  kindly  intended  to  wean  him  from  a  world  in 
which  he  was  no  longer  fit  to  act  the  part  assigned  him.  In 
this  frame  of  body  and  mind  he  continued  until  five  days 
before  his  death,  when  the  pain  and  difficulty  of  breathing 
entirely  left  him,  and  his  family  were  nattering  themselves 
with  the  hopes  of  his  recovery."  But  a  change  came  over 
him,  and,  "on  the  17th  of  April,  1790,  about  eleven  o'clock 
at  night,  he  quietly  expired,  closing  a  long  and  useful  life  of 
eighty-four  years  and  three  months."  * 

Dr.  Rush  says  that 

"  His  conversation  with  his  family,  upon  the  subject  of 
his  dissolution,  was  free  and  cheerful.  A  few  days  before 

*From  an  account  of  his  sickness  and  death,  by  Dr.  Jones,  his  attending 
physician.  Sparks. 


LIFE  OF   BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  88ft 

be  died,  lie  rose  from  his  bed,  and  begged  that  it  might  be 
made  up  for  him,  so  that  he  might  die  in  a  decent  manner. 
HLs  daughter  told  him  that  she  hoped  he  would  recover,  and 
live  many  years  longer.  He  calmly  replied,  '  7  hope  not.' 
Upon  being  advised  to  change  his  position  in  bed,  that  he 
might  breathe  easy,  he  said,  'A  dying  man  can  do  nothing 
easy.' " 

Mrs.  Hewson,  who  had  removed  to  Philadel 
phia,  wrote  to  a  friend  : 

"I  was  the  faithful  witness  of  the  closing  scene,  which 
he  sustained  with  that  calm  fortitude  which  characterized 
him  through  life.  No  repining,  no  peevish  expression,  ever 
escaped  him  during  a  confinement  of  two  years,  in  which,  I 
believe,  if  every  moment  of  care  could  be  added  together, 
the  sum  would  not  amount  to  two  whole  months.  When 
the  pain  was  not  too  violent  to  be  amused,  he  employed  him 
self  with  his  books,  his  pen,  or  in  conversation  with  his 
friends ;  and  upon  every  occasion  displayed  the  clearness  of 
his  intellect  and  the  cheerfulness  of  his  temper.  Even 
when  the  intervals  of  pain  were  so  short  that  his  words 
were  frequently  interrupted,  I  have  known  him  to  hold  a 
discourse  in  a  sublime  strain  of  piety.  •  •  * 

"  I  shall  never  forget  one  day  that  I  passed  with  our  friend 
last  summer.  I  found  him  in  bed  in  great  agony;  but,  when 
that  agony  abated  a  little,  I  asked  him  if  I  should  read  to 
him.  He  said,  Yes,  and  the  first  book  I  met  with  was 
Johnson's  Lives  of  the  Poets.  I  read  the  Life  of  Watts, 
who  was  a  favorite  author  with  Dr.  Franklin ;  and  instead 
of  lulling  him  to  sleep,  it  roused  him  to  a  display  of  the 
power  of  his  memory  and  his  reason.  He  repeated  several 
of  Watts'  Lyric  Poems,  and  descanted  upon  their  sublimity 
in  a  strain  worthy  of  them  and  of  their  pious  author. 

"It  is  natural  for  us  to  wish  that  an  attention  to  some 
ceremonies  had  accompanied  that  religion  of  the  heart, 


S96  LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

which  I  am  convinced  Dr.  Franklin  always  possessed;  but 
let  us,  who  feel  the  benefit  of  them,  continue  to  practice 
them  without  thinking  lightly  of  that  piety,  which  could 
support  pain  without  a  murmur  and  meet  death  without 
terror." 

The  religious  views  of  Dr.  Franklin  under 
went  important  changes  during  the  course  of  his 
life.  When  but  a  lad  he  became  a  doubter  of 
revelation  and  a  deist. 

"My  arguments,"  he  afterwards  said,  "perverted  some 
others,  particularly  Collins  and  Ralph;  but  each  of  these 
having  wronged  me  greatly,  without  the  least  compunction, 
and  recollecting  Keith's  conduct  toward  me,  (who  was  an 
other  freethinker, )  and  my  own  towards  Vernon  and  Miss 
Read,  which  at  times  gave  me  great  trouble ;  I  began  to  sus 
pect  that  this  doctrine,  though  it  might  be  true,  was  not  very 
useful." 

But  he  says : 

"  I  never  doubted  the  existence  of  a  Deity;  that  he  made 
the  world  and  governed  it  by  his  providence ;  that  the  most 
acceptable  service  of  God  was  the  doing  good  to  man ;  that 
our  souls  are  immortal ;  and  that  all  crimes  will  be  punished, 
and  virtue  rewarded,  either  here  or  hereafter." 

That  he  believed  in  prayer,  appears  from  the 
forms  of  prayer  which  he  drew  up  for  his  own 
use,  and  especially  from  his  solemn  appeal  to  the 
Convention  which  formed  the  Constitution,  to 
invite  clergymen  of  the  city  to  open  the 
discussions  of  that  body  with  prayer  for  divine 
guidance. 

The  famous  letter  which  he  wrote  to  an  infi 
del,  supposed  to  be  Thomas  Paine,  urging  the 


LIFE  OF  BENJAMIN    FRANKLIN.  397 

suppression  of  a  work  impugning  the  doctrines 
of  revelation,  shows  the  results  of  his  matured 
convictions : 

"  I  have  read  your  manuscript  with  some  attention.  By 
the  argument  it  contains  against  a  particular  Providence, 
though  you  allow  a  general  Providence,  you  strike  at  the 
foundation  of  all  religion.  For  without  the  belief  of  a  Prov 
idence,  that  takes  cognizance  of,  guards,  and  guides,  and 
may  favor  particular  persons,  there  is  no  motive  to  worship 
a  Deity,  to  fear  his  displeasure,  or  to  pray  for  his  protection. 
I  will  not  enter  into  any  discussion  of  your  principles, 
though  you  seem  to  desire  it.  At  present,  I  shall  only  give 
you  my  opinion,  that,  though  your  reasonings  are  subtile, 
and  may  prevail  with  some  readers,  you  will  not  succeed  so 
as  to  change  the  general  sentiments  of  mankind  on  that  sub 
ject,  and  the  consequence  of  printing  this  piece,  will  be  a 
great  deal  of  odium  drawn  upon  yourself,  mischief  to  you, 
and  no  benefit  to  others.  He  that  spits  against  the  wind, 
spits  in  his  own  face. 

"  But,  were  you  to  succeed,  do  you  imagine  any  good 
would  be  done  by  it  ?  You  yourself  may  find  it  easy  to 
lead  a  virtuous  life,  without  the  assistance  afforded  by  re 
ligion  ;  you  having  a  clear  perception  of  the  advantages  of 
virtue  and  the  disadvantages  of  vice,  and  possessing  a 
strength  of  resolution  sufficient  to  enable  you  to  resist  com 
mon  temptations.  But  think  how  great  a  portion  of  man 
kind  consists  of  weak  and  ignorant  men  and  women,  and  of 
inexperienced,  inconsiderate  youth  of  both  sexes,  who  have 
need  of  the  motives  of  religion  to  restrain  them  from  vice,  to 
support  their  virtue,  and  retain  them  in  the  practice  of  it 
till  it  becomes  habitual,  which  is  the  great  point  for  its  se 
curity.  And  perhaps  you  are  indebted  to  her  originally, 
that  is,  to  your  religious  education,  for  the  habits  of  virtue 
upon  which  you  now  justly  value  yourself.  You  might 


398  LIFE   OF   BENJAMIN   FRANKLIN. 

easily  display  your  excellent  talents  of  reasoning  upon  a  less 
hazardous  subject,  and  thereby  obtain  a  rank  with  our  most 
distinguished  authors.  For  among  us  it  is  not  necessary,  as 
among  the  Hottentots,  that  a  youth,  to  be  raised  into  the  com 
pany  of  men,  should  prove  his  manhood  by  beating  his> 
mother. 

"  I  would  advise  you,  therefore,  not  to  attempt  unchaining 
the  tiger,  but  to  burn  this  piece  before  it  is  seen  by  any 
other  person  •  whereby  you  will  save  yourself  a  great  deal  of 
mortification  by  the  enemies  it  may  raise  against  you,  and 
perhaps  a  great  deal  of  regret  and  repentance.  If  men  are 
so  wicked  with  religion,  what  would  they  be  if  without  it?  I 
intend  this  letter  itself  as  a  proof  of  my  friendship,  and 
therefore  add  no  professions  to  it;  but  subscribe  simply 

"  Yjurs, 

B.  FRANKLIN." 


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